Command chief: military exercise on Greenland planned for months

The military exercise by European NATO states on Greenland will continue for several months. “What we are currently doing is planning a longer-lasting exercise, continuously throughout 2026 and perhaps into 2027,” said the head of the Arctic Command, Søren Andersen, to the German Press Agency in Nuuk.

Under the impression of the annexation plans repeatedly voiced by US President Donald Trump, members of the German Armed Forces, among others, arrived on Greenland on Friday. Germany and other nations are initially involved in a reconnaissance mission prior to the actual military exercise. “The Germans and, among others, the Swedes and Norwegians are up here to find out what opportunities there are for joint training,” said Andersen.

Trump had repeatedly justified his plans to incorporate Greenland into the United States with security concerns due to threats from China and Russia in the region. The NATO allies are convinced that Greenland does not need to be taken over by the USA in order to protect the Arctic.

Andersen told dpa that the USA, like all NATO nations, had been invited to “train up here”. The Arctic Command, which is part of the Danish armed forces, works together with the American military on a daily basis. “One of the officers on my staff is part of the staff that is at Pituffik Space Base, the American base in northern Greenland,” Andersen said. “We work with the US on a daily basis, that hasn’t changed.”

So far, only French soldiers are on site for the actual exercise. “The other countries are here to look at the possibilities. Whether the US will look at the possibilities to train with other NATO countries as well, I think we will have a decision on that within the next month,” Andersen said.