The Danish Armed Forces led NATO’s Arctic Light 2025 without the US from September 9 to September 19. The drill combined 550 military personnel from Denmark and NATO allies. Russia has condemned the operations. Russian ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, said that the Danes are persistently strengthening their military presence and are being pushed to strengthen their role in the security of Europe. Russia has called the Arctic light a direct security threat and a direct counter to Russia’s Zapad. The drill is NATO’s attempt to gain independent control of the security of the Arctic, as the United States continue to threaten the sovereignty of Greenland. The move to not invite the US military coincides with the months of tension with the US on the island.
Arctic Light 2025
Arctic Light 2025 was a 10-day military drill that was led by Denmark, along with participation from Norway, Sweden, France, and Germany. It had a mixture of naval, land, air and special forces drills. There were Danish frigates HDMS Niels Juel and fighter jets like F-16, a French naval vessel, Multi Role Tanker Transport and Mountain Infantry equipped with drones. Germany, Sweden and Norway contributed with army personnel. There were live firing drills, special operations and sea rescue operations to increase the interoperability of the forces.
Denmark’s growing wariness of Russia
The Arctic Light 2025 had signs of the NATO-Russia military fortification along the Baltic to Arctic frontier.
“I think it’s fair to say that Russia has built up in the Arctic for the last 20 years, and Russia is a regional superpower in the Arctic,” said Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen to Associated Press.
Denmark perceives Russia as a threat, and when the war in Ukraine ends, “I think most of us working in this business … think that Russia will start building up again in other places and use their resources not in Ukraine, but other places in the world,” said Andersen.
The present war between Russia and Ukraine is limited to Eastern Europe, but it could escalate to the Arctic at any moment. Russia has repeatedly accused Europe of pressuring the US President to take military action in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any deployment of NATO forces would be considered an occupation and would sabotage the peace process.
Why was the US not invited?
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly asserted that he wants to take control of Greenland and will not rule out taking control of the island by military force. The semiautonomous mineral-rich region of Greenland is a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Both Denmark and Greenland have said that the island is not for sale. In August, Denmark summoned US diplomats in Copenhagen for a dressing down after reports of covert operations by the US to influence Greenland.
The Arctic Light 2025 did not have any US military personnel in it. Denmark maintains US is a friendly nation, and it has asked Pete Hegseth to be present for the drill. But no invitation for the US military hints at the growing dissatisfaction within Denmark with the US authority over Greenland.
“We have worked together with the U.S. for decades, both in exercises and also operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and so on,” said Andersen. So it will be the same this week. US and Denmark pilots will have a joint operation later in the week United States’ Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland.