NATO Launches 'Arctic Sentry' to Enhance Presence in the Region

On Wednesday, NATO announced the start of the Arctic Sentry mission, a multi-domain activity which is to enhance the Alliance's presence in the Arctic and the High North. 

Arctic Sentry builds on NATO’s growing focus on Arctic security, and it follows the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month in Davos, Switzerland, according to a press release.

The meeting, in which the two leaders discussed Greenland and the Arctic region,  took place in midst of increased tensions between the US and European Allies following Trumps continued push for control over Greenland, a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

At the meeting, which appeared to lower some of the tensions, Trump and Rutte agreed that NATO should collectively take more responsibility for the defence of the Arctic region considering Russia’s military activity and China’s growing interest there.

To coordinate and enhance NATO presence

“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, Supreme Allied Commander Europe in the press release. 

He emphasized that Arctic Sentry will "leverage NATO’s strength to protect our territory and ensure the Arctic and High North remains secure.”

Moving forward, the Arctic Sentry mission will coordinate Allies’ increasing activities in the region, which currently includes, among others, Denmark’s Arctic Endurance, which is a series of multi-domain exercises designed to enhance Allied ability to operate in the region. 

Coming up soon is also the Norwegian-led exercise Cold Response, where troops from across the Alliance have already begun to arrive.

The UK's Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, recently called for an Arctic Sentry mission to bolster security and protect Euro-Atlantic interests in the region.

“If we look at what NATO has already done very successfully in the Baltic Sea and also at the Eastern flank – in what we call the Baltic sentry and the Eastern sentry – we believe that we should be strengthening that coordination and cooperation as part of an Arctic sentry,” the UK Foreign Secretary said in interview with HNN.

Will be lead by JFC Norfolk

Arctic Sentry will be led by Joint Force Command Norfolk, which is the Alliance's newest joint force command. 

As HNN has reported, all Nordic countries were officially placed under the responsibility of this High North-focused command in December. 

Its area of responsibility now includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, in addition to the Atlantic.

“In terms of NATO’s joint force commands, Norfolk is the bridge between North America and Europe, defending the strategic approaches between the two continents and much more,” said Grynkewich, who on Tuesday received a briefing on Arctic Sentry planning from JFC Norfolk.