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NATO says ‘planning under way’ for new Arctic mission, amid Greenland tensions

04 February 2026 08:40 (UTC +04:00)

NATO has started military planning for an Arctic Sentry mission, a spokesperson for the alliance’s military headquarters SHAPE said on Feb 3, against a backdrop of tensions between the US and European allies over Greenland, APA reports, citing THE STRAITS TIMES.

Repeated remarks by US President Trump that accusing European allies of failing to properly secure the large Arctic island against Russia or China, have sparked a dispute with Copenhagen over the Danish overseas territory and triggered strains with NATO.

“Planning is underway for a NATO enhanced vigilance activity, named Arctic Sentry,” Colonel Martin O’Donnell, spokesperson for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said, confirming a report by German magazine Spiegel.

He declined to provide additional details as planning had only just begun.

After meeting Mr Trump in Davos in January, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said they had discussed how NATO allies could work collectively to ensure Arctic security, including not just Greenland but the seven NATO nations with land in the Arctic.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said it was very gratifying that military planning for the NATO mission was underway.

“It is crucial that we work together with our NATO allies to increase security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic,” he said on social media platform X.

It was not immediately clear whether NATO defence ministers will discuss the topic at their Feb 12 meeting in Brussels.

Under the alliance’s rules, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, has the authority to plan and execute “enhanced vigilance activities” without needing unanimous approval by the allies.