Arctic Light 2025: Denmark to Hold Military Exercise in Greenland with NATO Allies
Danish soldiers during training in Greenland. (Photo: The Danish Armed Forces)
On Tuesday, the Danish Armed Forces will commence a major exercise in Greenland, with contributions from France, Germany, Sweden and Norway. The aim is to strengthen Denmark and NATO’s operational readiness in the region, as well as provide support for civil preparedness.
The Arctic Light 2025 exercise takes place in and around Greenland from the 9th to the 19th of September.
Danish forces are to exercise at sea, on land, and in the air alongside personnel from France, Germany, Sweden and Norway. More than 550 soldiers are expected to take part.
The focus is on strengthening Denmark and NATO's joint response capabilities in the face of destabilizing threats against Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the alliance in the North Atlantic and the Arctic.
The Danish Armed Forces will also practice supporting the Greenlandic civil society in events of accidents and natural disasters.
"Through Arctic Light, we strengthen Greenland's overall preparedness and train the Danish Armed Forces' ability to adress a broad spectrum of threats in cooperation with Greenlandic authorities and international partners," says Major General Søren Andersen, the Commanding Officer of the Danish Armed Forces' Joint Arctic Command.
More about the participation
The exercise activity involves Danish naval, land, air, and special and homeguard forces. This includes i.a. the Danish frigate HDMS Niels Juel, F-16 fighters and two EH-101 helicopters.
France participates with the support vessel FS Garonne, a tanker aircraft, and a mountain infantry equipped with drones. Sweden and Norway contribute with home guard forces, and Germany will be involved with an observer team and staff contributions.
A key objective of the exercise is also to further develop Joint Arctic Command’s capacity to receive allied forces, enabling them to take part in operational missions in the Arctic.
Danish F-16 fighters on patrol over Greenland. (Photo: The Danish Armed Forces)
Focus on operational readiness
Arctic Light is planned as a so-called snap exercise, where forces are ordered to go on high alert and move to an operational area at short notice.
Concurrently, the staff exercise Opportune Jaguar will be carried out in Denmark, where the Danish Armed Forces Joint Operations Centre will train the military's ability to identify destabilizing threats in the Arctic and initiate operational responses.
On Greenlandic territory, the exercise participants will, among other things, train on boarding ships, guarding critical infrastructure and using ground drones in an Arctic environment.
As indicated, the Danish forces will also practice contributing to search and rescue (SAR), handling natural disasters and protecting the marine environment.
Danish soldiers during rescue training in Eastern Greenland this summer. (Photo: Danish Armed Forces)
Strengthened military presence
The upcoming exercise activity is part of the Danish Armed Forces' reinforced presence in and around Greenland, which began in June.
The strengthening of military operations has been initiated jointly by Greenland and Denmark in light of the security situation in the Arctic.
In August, Danish forces also cooperated with allies in the region.
The Danish patrol ship HDMS Triton carried out a passing exercise with the French patrol vessel FS Fulmar off the coast of Southern Greenland, where the crews practiced a scenario with a fire on board.
Furthermore, the German supply vessel FGS Berlin and the French support vessel FS Garonne called at Nuuk before sailing with the Danish patrol ship HDMS Lauge Koch to participate in the Canadian exercise Operation Nanook Tuugaalik.
The aforementioned port calls also included visits from the German Deputy Minister of Defense and the French Minister of Foreign Affairs. This marks that NATO countries stand together to ensure stability in the Arctic, states the Danish Armed Forces.
