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Belgium will deploy about 30 military personnel to Greenland from Sept. 4 to 18 as part of NATO’s newly launched Arctic Sentry mission, Defense Minister Theo Francken said Friday.
Francken said the Belgian contingent would include troops from the 1st Brigade based in Leopoldsburg as well as members of the country’s Special Forces.
The personnel will take part in training exercises, operate drones and test counter-drone systems during the deployment.
“The island’s vast territory offers an extremely suitable training area for such missions,” Francken said during a visit to Iceland.
Belgium will participate in the mission alongside Canada, Denmark, France, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Sweden.
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The Arctic Sentry mission is intended to reinforce NATO’s presence in the Arctic, including around Greenland, Iceland and the Arctic Ocean, amid what the alliance describes as growing strategic interest from Russia and China.
According to Belgian broadcaster VTM, the deployment is also intended to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump that NATO is capable of protecting the Arctic and Greenland.
Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. needs Greenland for national security purposes and has described control of the island as historically and strategically important.
He has also said Greenland is vital to the “Golden Dome” being developed by the U.S.
Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has previously rejected U.S. approaches that included transferring sovereignty over the island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has also rejected Trump’s remarks, saying Greenland “is not for sale” and that only the people of Greenland can determine its future.
Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were reported to have agreed that the alliance should take greater responsibility for defending the Arctic.
NATO subsequently announced the launch of Arctic Sentry to strengthen the alliance’s presence in the region.
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