NATO has started planning an operation called Arctic Sentry to boost vigilance in the Arctic amid rising tensions over Greenland. SHAPE confirmed planning is in the early stages and provided few details. The move follows diplomatic friction after U.S. comments about Greenland and comes as allies discuss collective Arctic security. It is unclear whether NATO defence ministers will address the matter at their Feb. 12 meeting in Brussels.
NATO Begins Planning 'Arctic Sentry' Operation Amid Greenland Dispute
Banners displaying the NATO logo are placed at the entrance of new NATO headquarters during the move to the new building, in Brussels, Belgium April 19, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman
BERLIN, Feb. 3 — NATO has begun military planning for an operation called "Arctic Sentry," a spokesperson for the alliance's military headquarters, SHAPE, said on Tuesday. The announcement comes as tensions rise between the United States and European allies over Greenland.
What Officials Said
"Planning is underway for a NATO enhanced vigilance activity, named Arctic Sentry," Colonel Martin O'Donnell, spokesperson for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), said, confirming a report by the German magazine Spiegel. He declined to provide further details, saying planning had only just begun.
Context: Greenland And Arctic Security
The announcement follows a diplomatic dispute sparked by repeated comments from U.S. President Donald Trump expressing interest in acquiring Greenland and suggesting some allies were not adequately protecting the Arctic island from strategic competitors. Those remarks prompted a diplomatic spat with Denmark and added strain to relations among NATO partners.
Allied Coordination
NATO officials say allies have discussed how to cooperate collectively to strengthen security in the Arctic region, which includes Greenland and the seven NATO members with territory above the Arctic Circle. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen welcomed the planning: "It is crucial that we work together with our NATO allies to increase security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic," he said on platform X.
Decision-Making And Next Steps
It was not immediately clear whether NATO defence ministers would discuss Arctic Sentry at their meeting in Brussels on Feb. 12. Under NATO procedures, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) has the authority to plan and execute "enhanced vigilance activities" without requiring unanimous approval by all allies, enabling faster operational responses when needed.
Reporting by Sabine Siebold; additional reporting by Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen; editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Mark Heinrich and Anna Ringstrom.
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