Mr. Soren Andersen - Commander of the Arctic United Command in Greenland - said that the biggest security challenge in the region today is monitoring submarine operations at the GIUK gap - a strategic sea area located between Greenland, Iceland and the UK in the North Atlantic. This task depends more on surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities than deploying more troops on the ground.
The Danish Armed Forces currently have the necessary facilities to protect Greenland," he said.
He added: "There are many tactics that do not necessarily require us to maintain a dense military presence in Greenland.
According to Mr. Andersen, monitoring submarines requires means such as warships, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and reconnaissance aircraft. These are capabilities that do not require too much manpower but still help create reliable deterrence capabilities.
These weapons usually operate from locations such as Iceland or the UK, instead of departing from bases in Greenland.
Denmark has pledged to spend an additional 42 billion Danish kroner (about 6.1 billion USD) to protect this vast Arctic territory, after US President Donald Trump resumed his call for the US to control Greenland for security reasons.
Mr. Andersen also admitted that Greenland has not yet received much new equipment. "There are still quite a few important capabilities that have not been added," he said.
He said that Denmark and Greenland are also "lining up" to buy weapons such as UAVs, maritime patrol aircraft and air refueling capabilities, and are also facing a shortage of supplies like many other countries are urgently expanding their military forces.
The first ground air defense systems have been deployed to Greenland. The first coastal radar station in the capital Nuuk is expected to be operational in July, while the construction of a new port and new military headquarters will also begin in 2026.
According to Mr. Andersen, Greenland's defense capacity strengthening process is expected to be completed in 2033.
He revealed that Denmark is simultaneously promoting infrastructure development, recruitment and human resource training, and also accepting the reality that new military capabilities will be put into operation in stages. Other investment items for Greenland also include ships operating in the Arctic, icebreakers, a nuclear monitoring station and an airborne warning radar system east of the island.
This military capacity build takes place in the context of diplomatic negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the United States on security issues on the island with about 57,000 inhabitants entering their 6th month. Officials kept most of the negotiation content secret, which mainly focused on expanding security cooperation.
Western media reported that US officials are seeking to establish 3 new bases in southern Greenland. Danish television DR reported that a US military officer went to a remote settlement to survey conditions for future military presence.
Mr. Andersen said that if an agreement with the US leads to the construction of more bases in Greenland, the Danish military will assess how these facilities are used in combat operations as well as consider whether the facilities help strengthen existing capabilities.
