The UK has sent a military officer to Greenland to take part in a joint reconnaissance mission, as Denmark and its allies increase their military focus on the Arctic and High North.
Downing Street confirmed the officer was deployed at Denmark’s request to join a reconnaissance team ahead of a planned Danish-led exercise known as Operation Arctic Endurance.
UK officials stressed the move does not amount to a troop deployment but is part of routine military planning with allies.
Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said the operation would involve several allied nations and warned that security conditions in the region remain unpredictable.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the UK shares US concerns about Arctic security and described the move as part of Nato and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) efforts to strengthen deterrence against Russian and Chinese activity in the region.
Other countries, including Germany, Sweden, Norway and France, have also confirmed they will send personnel to the mission. Denmark’s defence ministry said the aim is to deepen cooperation and improve the ability of allied forces to operate effectively in the Arctic.
The renewed focus on Greenland comes amid repeated claims by former US president Donald Trump that the United States should take control of the territory to prevent Russian or Chinese influence. His administration has previously suggested it could use force to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Nato member Denmark.
Since those comments resurfaced earlier this year, the UK has stepped up discussions on Arctic security. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has raised the issue in recent calls with Trump, Denmark’s prime minister and the Nato secretary-general.
Denmark has welcomed the show of support. Rasmus Jarlov, chair of the Danish parliament’s defence committee, said backing from European allies, including the UK, was crucial in the face of pressure from Washington.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that France has already begun sending military personnel to Greenland to take part in the exercise.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged to strengthen Arctic security cooperation during a visit to Scandinavia, saying the region is critical to Britain’s and Nato’s long-term security.
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