In justifying the move, the cross-party agreement mentioned global warming, which is opening up new shipping routes in the Arctic, while providing access to raw materials or resources. This, in turn, is leading to keen interest by the great powers in the area, including “increasing Russian activity and military build-up”, the agreement said.
A political majority in Denmark has agreed on a DKK 1.5 billion ($240 million) boost to surveillance equipment and training in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, with a focus on the remote parts of the Danish Realm, such as Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Danish Radio reported.
The largest items in what has been dubbed the “Artic capacity package”, valid until 2023, are long-range drones at DKK 750 million ($122 million) and an air warning radar on the Faroe Islands at DKK 390 million ($63 million). Another DKK 50 million ($8 million) has been earmarked for defence education with “conscription-like conditions” on Greenland, the world's largest and most sparsely-populated island. It has also been agreed to set aside funds for the renovation of the frost-damaged runway used by the Danish Armed Forces in Kangerlussuaq.
In addition to the aquisition of equipment for satellite monitoring, radars, tactical communication, and data analysis, the agreement includes derivative operating expenses for DKK 300 million per year ($49 million).
The cross-party agreement mentions global warming, which is “increasingly opening up new shipping routes…