The chief of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced a new initiative to defend the Arctic against adversaries such as Beijing and Moscow on Wednesday.
“In the face of Russia’s increased military activity and China’s growing interest in the High North, it was crucial that we do more,” said Mark Rutte, NATO chief.
“Which is why we have just two hours ago launched Arctic Sentry.”
Rutte said the new undertaking demonstrates NATO’s commitment to the security of both the Arctic and the whole alliance.
The new mission is to strengthen NATO’s presence in the Arctic to defend territories, including Greenland.
Joint Force Command Norfolk will coordinate the increasing military presence of NATO allies in the Arctic.
Allied Command Operations will execute a multi-domain exercise, led by Joint Force Command Norfolk, integrating air, land, maritime, and potentially space and cyberspace assets.
Last December, the Norfolk Command was expanded to include Nordic countries like Denmark, Finland and Sweden.
The military exercise follows a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Rutte last month in Davos, Switzerland, where the leaders agreed that NATO should take more responsibility for the region’s defense.
