Stockholm announced it would contribute JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft to NATO’s newly announced Arctic Sentry mission to Greenland on Thursday, in the wake of a push by US President Donald Trump to annex the autonomous Danish territory.
For weeks, Trump justified his threats to use economic sanctions or military force to gain control of the mineral-rich Arctic island in terms of the threat posed by expanding Russian and Chinese spheres of influence. NATO’s launch of Arctic Sentry on Wednesday may help undermine this argument.
In a press release, the Swedish government welcomed the new mission – noting that Sweden is one of NATO’s seven Arctic states, and Arctic security is a shared responsibility among NATO allies.
The Gripens – Sweden’s “initial” contribution to Arctic Sentry – will be deployed to “the area around Iceland and Greenland,” as per their statement.
“When Russia arms itself and cooperation between Russia and China intensifies, the Alliance needs to consolidate its presence and situational awareness in the Arctic region,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson added.
Sweden will also put boots on the ground for a fortnight or so, according to a separate statement from Sweden’s Armed Forces – although it did not specify how many Swedish personnel will be deployed there, or when.
“Swedish Air Force Rangers and Army Rangers will conduct exercises on Greenland for a couple of weeks,” the statement reads, according to Reuters.
Denmark is also set to contribute “substantially” to the mission and Germany has pledged four of its Eurofighter jets. However, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that “what is really new about it is that for the first time now, we will bring everything we do in the Arctic together under one command.”
This includes Denmark’s Arctic Endurance and Norway’s Cold Response military exercises on Greenland – both announced prior to the launch of Arctic Sentry.
Also on Thursday, a meeting of defense ministers from NATO member countries broadly welcomed the launch of Arctic Sentry – with the caveat from some that it must not distract from the defense of NATO’s eastern flank.
“Now is the crucial time to keep on supporting Ukraine even more and show [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that the West is not dropping back,” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said, as per Euronews.
Similarly, Icelandic Defense Minister Katrín Gunnarsdóttir said a “lesser focus on the eastern flank” could not be allowed, and described Ukraine as fighting “for Europe’s freedom and sovereignty.”