Two billion invested

Denmark strengthens its military presence in the Arctic

(Bild: Ritzau Scanpix/Emil Helms)

Following US President Donald Trump's territorial claims to Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, the Nordic state wants to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic. A total of 14.6 billion Danish kroner (almost two billion euros) is to be invested, said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (pictured above) on Monday.

This includes funding for three new Arctic navy ships, two additional long-range drones and satellites for better surveillance, he added.

After more than a decade of drastic cuts in defense spending, Denmark last year allocated 190 billion Danish kroner (25.5 billion euros) to its military over a ten-year period, part of which is earmarked for the Arctic.

Greenland four times the size of France
Although Denmark is responsible for the security and defense of Greenland, it has only limited military capabilities on the island. Denmark currently has four obsolete inspection vessels, a Challenger surveillance aircraft and twelve dog sled patrols to monitor an area four times the size of France.

Trump has recently signaled his interest in "ownership and control" of Greenland on several occasions. The huge island in the Arctic with a population of around 57,000 is of great strategic importance to the USA, which maintains an air base there with an early warning system for ballistic missiles.

Greenland's capital Nuuk is closer to New York than Copenhagen. Greenland also has mineral resources under the ice.