Denmark announces major funding to boost Arctic security
The Niels Juel at the quay in the north-Norway town of Tromsø, the characteristic Arctic Cathedral can be seen in the background. Photo: Danish Armed Forces.
Denmark has said it will spend 14.6 billion kroner (£1.6bn; $2.05bn) to boost security in the Arctic region, in partnership with its autonomous territories Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
The deal includes three new Arctic ships, more long-range drones with advanced image acquisition capacity and stronger satellite capacity, News.Az reports, citing foreign media."We must face the fact that there are serious challenges regarding security and defence in the Arctic and North Atlantic," Denmark's Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
The move comes after US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to acquire Greenland, an island which has wide-ranging autonomy but remains part of Denmark.
Asked earlier in January whether he could rule out using military or economic force to pursue his desire to take over the territory, Trump said he could not.
Greenland, the world's most sparsely populated territory, is home to about 56,000 mostly indigenous Inuit people.
The US has long maintained a security interest in Greenland. After Nazi Germany occupied mainland Denmark during World War II, the US invaded Greenland, establishing military and radio stations across the territory. It has maintained a presence in the region since.
Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important for the US.
In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland's natural resources, including mining for rare earth minerals, uranium and iron.
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