NATO launches operation ‘Arctic Sentinel’ to reinforce its military presence after the crisis in Greenland

NATO launched this Wednesday the ‘Arctic Sentinel’ operation, a mission to reinforce the Alliance’s military presence in the region and which is the result of the agreement reached by the US president, Donald Trump, and the allied secretary general, Mark Rutte, after the crisis opened by the White House’s claims to take control of Greenland.

The Allied Command of Operations (ACO) will be responsible for the planning and execution of all exercises, activities and operations that NATO will carry out in the Arctic, thus reinforcing the Atlantic Alliance’s posture to ensure that the entire Arctic region “remains secure.”

“‘Arctic Sentinel’ underscores the Alliance’s commitment to safeguarding its members and maintaining stability in one of the most strategically significant and environmentally demanding areas in the world,” said NATO Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR), Alexus G. Grynkewich, in a statement released by the organization.

The US Air Force general has added that this mission will “take advantage of the strength” of NATO to protect the region in the face of Russian military activity and China’s growing economic interest in the area.

INTEGRATE OTHER MISSIONS

This operation, called ‘Artic Sentry’ in English, will integrate and provide coherence to other missions with a lower operational focus of some member states of the Alliance, such as Norway’s ‘Cold Response’ maneuver, or the Danish exercise ‘Arctic Resistance’, a mission in which up to eight European countries participated in the midst of the Greenland crisis, and which provoked Trump’s indignation when he threatened the allies with new tariffs.

‘Arctic Sentinel’ will be directed by the Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk), located in the United Kingdom, whose area of ​​responsibility covers the entire Arctic and North Pole since December, in coordination with the Allied Operations Command, in turn coordinating activities with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the Northern and European commands of the United States.

According to the Supreme Allied Commander, the Norfolk headquarters will act as a “bridge between North America and Europe” and will be “key” to defend the strategic accesses between both continents through the Arctic.