The Arctic Debrief: U.S. absent from NATO military training in Greenland amid tensions with Denmark

Welcome back to The Arctic Debrief! I am looking to come back on a biweekly basis, but it will allow me to create higher quality content. Additionally, the first episode of The Arctic Pod podcast is almost ready, I am in the final stages of editing it. I am also looking to create more content in addition to the newsletter.

In this edition:

• U.S. absent from Arctic training in Greenland amid tensions with Denmark;
• Russia conducts military landing exercise on Franz Josef Land; and
• South Korea dedicates funds to develop Arctic shipping and vessel industry

Latest Developments

U.S. absent from NATO military training in Greenland amid tensions with Denmark

Greenland will play host to the Arctic Light 2025 exercise led by the Danish military, with assistance from France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. The exercise began on Sept. 9 and will conclude on Sept. 19.

The exercise will focus on operational readiness and involve units on the ground in Greenland, as well as support staff stationed at the Danish Joint Headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The absence of the U.S. in the exercise is notable, as relations between Denmark and America continue to falter following a report which claimed that individuals linked to U.S. President Donald Trump were carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland. Allegedly, the three Americans were collecting names of Greenlandic citizens which were in favor of a potential take over by the United States or those that may be willing to participate in a secessionist movement against the Kingdom of Denmark.

While President Trump eased-up on rhetoric about the U.S. needing to take control over Greenland, either diplomatically or through use of force, the comments have raised concerns among NATO allies. These concerns have been reignited following the revelations made in the report.

The United States has often participated in Arctic military exercises conducted by its NATO allies, especially where the U.S. has a presence. The U.S. Space Force operates out of the Pituffik Space Base located in north-western Greenland.

Arctic Light 2025 will see a number of exercises performed by Denmark's army, navy, and air force. On the ground, troops will practice guarding critical infrastructure, patrolling, conducting search operations, and deploying ground drones in Arctic environments. At sea, the Danish Navy will conduct search and rescue operations, maritime surveillance, joint training with the Air Force, and test army drones for maritime missions. In the air, the Danish Air Force will deploy F-16s for patrol and show of presence missions, and EH-101 helicopters for tactical transport operations.

The Danish Special Operations Command (SOKOM) and Danish Home Guard will also participate in the exercise. The French Navy ship FS Garrone, a multi-role aircraft and French mountain infantry will participate in the exercise, meanwhile Sweden and Norway is sending troops from their respective Home Guard units. The German military is sending an observer team and support staff.

Russia conducts military landing exercise on Franz Josef Land

While all eyes are on the Polish border due to "Zapad-2025,"a joint military training exercise held by Russia and Belarus, Russian forces are conducting various drills on the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Far North.

Franz Josef Land is home to Nagurskoye military base which includes an airfield and facilities which are able to host a large number of troops. The airfield was recently upgraded and is now capable of accommodating all types of Russian military aircraft including cargo planes and strategic bombers.

The Russian military base is located just 400km away from Norway's Svalbard Archipelago, which has a Russian presence due to an international treaty which allows the land to be used for economic means.

One of the drills saw the Russian Navy conduct a simulated invasion of an Arctic island. The exercise involved a helicopter deploying soldiers inland, special forces diving off speed boats in diving gear to approach the island from the water, and a landing ship dropping off five Vityaz DT-30 all-terrain vehicles carrying troops. A video summarizing the exercise was posted to the Russian Army's social media channels.

The goal of the exercise was to recapture enemy positions and to practice combined operations between various units. Another drill was held in the same area to simulate the defense of a strategic area from an enemy invasion. This included the use of ballistic missiles to target an imagined enemy flotilla approaching the designated island and deploying troops to eliminate saboteurs that infiltrated the area.

In addition to the exercise's proximity to Svalbard, Russia is testing Norway's authority over the region in various ways. For example, Russian state-owned mining company Arktikugol, which oversees all of Russia's activities on Svalbard, has received an administrative vehicle which is nearly identical to those used by Russian police.

This move directly violates Norway's laws which strictly prohibit the use of markings or designs that could be confused with a public authority.

Russia has previously expressed discontent with its lack of authority over its "colony" in Barentsburg and believes it should be able to have more control over the area. In a similar incident last year, a Soviet flag was found planted on the island.

South Korea dedicates funds to develop Arctic shipping and vessel industry

The South Korean government has dedicated 1.66 trillion won (about $1.35 billion) to expand and upgrade port infrastructure to accommodate future Arctic shipping traffic and 549 billion won (about $399 million) to develop new icebreakers and pursue Arctic shipping initiatives.

The goal of these measures is to turn South Korea into a hub for Arctic shipping, according to the government. Ships traveling along the Northern Sea Route, typically carrying cargo between Europe and Asia, often stop by Busan, and the South Korean government believes it would be beneficial to develop the city as traffic along the route is bound to increase. Busan is already considered one of the largest container ports in the world.

South Korea has a significant shipbuilding industry and has previously built vessels capable of traversing the Arctic for domestic and foreign companies and states. South Korea was building an Arctic LNG carrier for Russia to use in deliveries from its LNG-2 plant, but due to sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine the ship was not delivered.

Additionally, South Korea is closer to making its first foreign sale of the KSS-III submarine currently in service in the South Korean Navy. The submarine, built by Hanwha Ocean, is a diesel-electric attack and ballistic missile submarine capable of operating in the Arctic Ocean.

Hanwha is currently participating in a procurement process to sell the vessel to the Canadian government. Last month, Canadian Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound announced that Hanwha Ocean and Germany-based Thyssenkrupp were the only two companies selected as potential suppliers that would replace the country's aging Victoria II submarine fleet. If successful in its bid, Hawnha's contract with the Canadian government would reportedly be between $14.5 billion and $17.5 billion.

While this purchase would be the first foreign sale of the KSS-III submarine, Hanwha and the South Korean government are aiming to become a global supplier of submarines, icebreakers, and other vessels.

If you are enjoying the newsletter and are looking forward to the podcast it would be a great help if you share the newsletter or the Arctic Pod Patreon page. Thank you for you continued support!