High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?
Denmark signed to acquire MQ-9B SeaGuardian UAVs in July 2025. (Photo: GA-ASI)
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
As security tensions bubble and roil in the High North and Arctic, the spotlight is once again on NATO and its capabilities to protect the region as the US ramps up pressure on Greenland.
With the defence of Greenland a “common concern” for the whole of NATO according to Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen, the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it would work with a number of Arctic and European allies on how “increased presence and exercise activity in the Arctic can be implemented in practice” and noted that it planned to build upon its 2025 exercise activities.
France,
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