FILE PHOTO: A man walks as Danish flag flutters next to Hans Egede Statue ahead of a March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
By Andrea Palasciano and Sanne Wass (Bloomberg) — NATO will bolster its Arctic presence with a new mission after US President Donald Trump triggered an alliance crisis over his attempts to take Greenland.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization announced the mission, dubbed “Arctic Sentry,” on Wednesday, a day before the group’s defense ministers gather in Brussels.
“There is a real threat that from today onwards, knowing what we have seen in the past, the sea lanes opening up, that this will increase and that therefore there is every need to make sure that we protect this vital part of NATO territory,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters on the eve of the meeting.
The announcement came just weeks after Trump brought the transatlantic partnership to the brink of rupture with his claims over Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark. Trump ultimately relented, for now, after a meeting with Rutte that led to Arctic Sentry, which will allow the alliance to better coordinate its actions in the region.
“For the first time we will bring everything together under one command,” Rutte explained, when asked about what this new mission would bring.
The subject will inevitably come during the Thursday meeting.
NATO has been working to reinforce its Arctic presence since Trump started insisting in January that he be allowed to annex Greenland, a largely ice-covered island growing in strategic importance as global warming opens up more territory and shipping routes.
Denmark will make a “substantial contribution” to the mission, in “close coordination” with Greenland and the Faroe Islands, the Danish defense ministry said on Wednesday. It is still too early to specify exactly how the activity will be designed, it added.
“We also need closer cooperation with other NATO allies regarding some of the different capabilities that may be included,” Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on his way into a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. This could, among other things, involve the P-8 aircraft, with Denmark hoping to cooperate with Germany, he added.
NATO launched a similar Eastern Sentry mission in 2025 after numerous Russian drones and even jets violated the alliance’s airspace. Like that endeavor, the Arctic Sentry mission will mainly reorganize existing assets.
The alliance’s Arctic members, including Sweden and Finland, have long been calling for NATO to take the northern region more seriously.
Also on Thursday, officials will hear from US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, author of the country’s recent National Defense Strategy. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth won’t be in attendance.
Europeans are keen to learn more about Washington’s ongoing review of its forces, which is expected to result in a shift from Europe to Asia.
NATO this week also announced a redistribution of senior military roles, reflecting a shift in responsibilities to Europe.
The UK and Italy will take over the Joint Force Commands in Norfolk and Naples respectively, while Germany and Poland will share leadership of the command in Brunssum. Crucially, though, the US keeps the key role of Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and is taking over the position of Allied Maritime Command, currently held by the UK.
The alliance is also expected at its meeting Thursday to come up with a new list of weapons it plans to purchase for Ukraine, which continues to be in dire need of air defense. With Trump cutting off most aid to Ukraine, NATO allies are now buying many weapons from the US through the PURL program. The UK is expected to commit £150 million ($204 million) to the progam.
US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker praised the biggest contributors to the program – Norway, the Netherlands and Germany – in a briefing on Tuesday.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
This article contains reporting from Bloomberg, published under license.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 plant is expected to receive two more domestically constructed ice-class liquefied natural gas carriers in 2026, further unlocking the project’s export potential.
Cargo volumes along Russia’s Northern Sea Route fell in 2025, underscoring how Western sanctions are increasingly curtailing Moscow’s long-held ambitions to transform the Arctic passage into a global energy export corridor.
Four MOL LNG carriers built for modern ice-strengthened operations remain idle more than six months after the European Union lifted sanctions following assurances that the vessels would not be used for the transport of Russian LNG.
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
