Canada’s foreign minister stated on Wednesday that NATO’s new Arctic initiative should become a lasting part of the Western military alliance’s efforts.
Anita Anand was the main speaker at the Arctic 360 conference, which is happening in Toronto over the next two days.
Early Wednesday, NATO’s supreme commander announced the launch of an initiative called Arctic Sentry, designed to coordinate allied activities in the Far North, including military exercises led by Denmark in Greenland and Norway’s annual drill known as Cold Response.
“Arctic Sentry underscores the alliance’s commitment to safeguard its members and maintain stability in one of the world’s most strategically significant and environmentally challenging areas,” said U. S. Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich in a statement.
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Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich said the Arctic Sentry plans were drawn up with input from Canada. (Virginia Mayo/The Associated Press)
“It will leverage NATO’s strength to protect our territory and ensure the Arctic and High North remains secure.”
While speaking at the conference later that day, Anand mentioned that Canada has been advocating for better NATO defense in a region that is becoming increasingly competitive geopolitically.
“We would like to see that initiative be permanent,” Anand said. “I am pushing NATO allies and the secretary-general to see this as a collective effort, not only an individual effort.”
She expressed her belief that NATO needs to focus on northern threats as well, not just look east toward Ukraine, where fighting against Russia has entered its fourth year despite Ukraine not being a member of the alliance.
Anand did not specify what military resources Canada might offer for this initiative, which isn’t classified as a separate military operation. It’s also unclear if Canada’s regular military training exercises like Operation Nanook would be included within NATO activities.
WATCH | Why Trump wants Greenland:
Why Trump wants Greenland
The Trump administration has made it clear it wants to take control of Greenland and it isn’t ruling out using military force. For The National, CBC’s Eli Glasner breaks down why the U. S. has labelled annexing the sparsely-populated island a ‘national security priority.’
While on paper this alliance initiative was created mainly to address Russian and Chinese actions and influence in the area, it was also directly responding to complaints from U. S. President Donald Trump about insufficient defenses for Greenland and his calls for annexation of Danish territory.
On Wednesday, ahead of a regular meeting with NATO defense ministers, Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that it’s essential for NATO to take more action.
“For the first time now, we will bring everything we do in the Arctic together under one command,” Rutte stated.
“By doing that, we will not only leverage what we are doing much more effectively and have a bigger impact; we will also be able to assess which gaps there are that we need to fill – and of course we will fill them.”
A potential crisis was avoided when Trump indicated there was an agreement allowing greater U. S. access to Greenland for defense purposes, including enhancements to North American missile defense systems known as Golden Dome.
Military experts have noted that if conflict arises, Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles would likely travel over Greenland towards North America, highlighting a need for improved radar and defense systems in response. Through a 1951 defense treaty, however, the United States already has necessary access rights at crucial sites throughout Greenland.
NATO’s Arctic Sentry initiative will interestingly operate from its military command based in Norfolk, Virginia.
The supreme commander’s statement confirmed that plans regarding operations in these northern regions were developed closely with all allied nations involved in Arctic affairs such as Canada and United States among others.
Source link
Why Trump wants Greenland
The Trump administration has made it clear it wants to take control of Greenland and it isn’t ruling out using military force. For The National, CBC’s Eli Glasner breaks down why the U. S. has labelled annexing the sparsely-populated island a ‘national security priority.’
While on paper this alliance initiative was created mainly to address Russian and Chinese actions and influence in the area, it was also directly responding to complaints from U. S. President Donald Trump about insufficient defenses for Greenland and his calls for annexation of Danish territory.
On Wednesday, ahead of a regular meeting with NATO defense ministers, Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that it’s essential for NATO to take more action.
“For the first time now, we will bring everything we do in the Arctic together under one command,” Rutte stated.
“By doing that, we will not only leverage what we are doing much more effectively and have a bigger impact; we will also be able to assess which gaps there are that we need to fill – and of course we will fill them.”
A potential crisis was avoided when Trump indicated there was an agreement allowing greater U. S. access to Greenland for defense purposes, including enhancements to North American missile defense systems known as Golden Dome.
Military experts have noted that if conflict arises, Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles would likely travel over Greenland towards North America, highlighting a need for improved radar and defense systems in response. Through a 1951 defense treaty, however, the United States already has necessary access rights at crucial sites throughout Greenland.
NATO’s Arctic Sentry initiative will interestingly operate from its military command based in Norfolk, Virginia.
The supreme commander’s statement confirmed that plans regarding operations in these northern regions were developed closely with all allied nations involved in Arctic affairs such as Canada and United States among others.Source link
