Denmark has announced it would spend 14.6 billion Danish Kroner (€1.9bn) on boosting its military presence in the Arctic, following renewed interest by US President Donald Trump in controlling Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The announcement came after Mr Trump said he would "get Greenland", adding the autonomous Danish territory is needed for his country's "international security".
Following more than a decade of drastic cuts in defence spending, last year Denmark allocated 190 billion Danish crowns (€24.7bn) for its military over a 10-year span, part of which has now been allocated to the Arctic.
Denmark, while responsible for Greenland's security and defence, has limited military capabilities on the vast island, widely regarded as a security black hole.
At present, Denmark's capacities include four ageing inspection vessels, a Challenger surveillance plane and 12 dogsled patrols, all tasked with monitoring an area four times the size of France.
The deal includes funding three new Arctic navy vessels doubling the number of planned long-range surveillance drones to four, as well as satellite surveillance, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said at a press conference.
He said: "We must face the fact that there are serious challenges regarding security and defence in the Arctic and North Atlantic."
His announcement came ahead of a visit by the country's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to Berlin, Paris and Brussels this week to shore up "European unity" on Greenland.
"Europe is facing a serious situation. With war on the continent and shifts in the geopolitical reality. In moments like this, unity is crucial," Ms Frederiksen said in a statement.
She added she would meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as well as with Mark Rutte, secretary general of the NATO transatlantic defence alliance.
Ms Frederiksen outlined: "Denmark is a small country with strong allies and it is part of a strong European community where together we can meet the challenges we face."
The political parties agreed to set aside more money for the Arctic in a deal that will be presented in the first half of the year.
The US military has a permanent presence at the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland - a strategic location for its ballistic missile early-warning system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island.
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