NATO began its biennial drills in the Arctic on Monday, this time placing more emphasis on the role of civilians in supporting the military, at a time of high tension over President Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark.
The drills, named Cold Response, focus on defending the alliance in the European Arctic, where NATO-members Norway and Finland share a border with Russia, and will run March 9-19 this time. The exercise has now become part of Arctic Sentry, the NATO mission to strengthen its presence in the polar region that was launched to defuse tensions with Trump over Greenland.
Trump insists the U.S. needs Greenland to fend off threats from Russian and Chinese interests in the Arctic, and that Denmark cannot ensure its security. The governments of both Denmark and Greenland say the island is not for sale.
This year, some 25,000 troops from some 14 nations – including the U.S. and Denmark – will take part in Cold Response, mostly across northern Norway and Finland.
The U.S. is expected to have some 4,000 troops present.
Ahead of the exercise, the U.S. military withdrew one squadron of F-35 fighter jets from the exercise. It declined to say whether the war in the Middle East played a role in the decision.
