Denmark's $4.2 Billion Defence Expansion Bolsters Arctic Security

Mon Oct 20 2025 21:26:40 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a bid to enhance security in Greenland and the Arctic, Denmark announces a significant defence spending boost including new ships, jets, and a military headquarters.

Denmark has unveiled a $4.2 billion defence budget aimed at increasing security in Greenland and the surrounding Arctic region. This plan includes purchasing new ships, fighter jets, and establishing a new military headquarters in Nuuk, fueled by concerns over global powers' interests in the region.

Denmark has announced $4.2bn (£3.2bn) of extra defence spending to boost security in Greenland and the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.

It will also spend $4.5bn buying 16 more F-35 fighter jets from the United States, bringing its total fleet of such advanced planes to 43.

With this... agreement we significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Danish Armed Forces in the region, Denmark's Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement on Friday.

The defence boost comes after US President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed his desire to acquire Greenland, saying the vast Arctic island - under Danish sovereignty - was critical for national and economic security.

Denmark worked on the new defence package with the governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

It will buy two new Arctic ships, maritime patrol planes, drones and early warning radar.

Crucially, a new Arctic command headquarters will be set up in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, alongside a new military unit under Joint Arctic Command in Greenland.

In addition, an undersea cable connecting Greenland and Denmark will be funded.

Concerns over President Trump’s ambitions for Greenland, which he has called critical for military and resource aims, have been a backdrop to these developments. Greenland is strategically significant, housing a U.S. radar base and serving as a critical link between North America and Europe.