COPENHAGEN, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Denmark announced on Monday it plans to invest 14.6 billion Danish crowns ($2.05 billion) to reinforce its military presence in the Arctic. This decision follows U.S. President Donald Trump's interest in gaining control over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Trump recently emphasized the strategic importance of Greenland to U.S. security and suggested that Denmark should relinquish control of the Arctic island.
After more than a decade of incremental increases in defense spending, Denmark allotted 26 billion Danish crowns over a 10-year period for its military, with a portion earmarked for the Arctic region.
While Denmark is responsible for Greenland's security, its military presence on the vast island includes four aging inspection vessels, a Challenger surveillance plane, and 12 dog sled patrols, all dedicated to monitoring an area four times the size of France.
The plan involves financing three new Arctic navy vessels, doubling the number of planned long-range surveillance drones to four, and introducing satellite surveillance, as stated by Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen during a press conference.
The decision to allocate additional funds for the Arctic has been endorsed by political parties and is set to be presented in the first half of the year.
The U.S. military maintains a permanent presence at the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, utilizing it for its ballistic missile early-warning system, given that it serves as the shortest route from Europe to North America.
($1 = 7.1158 Danish crowns)