NATO officials said on 22 January that the alliance intends to conduct several military exercises in the Arctic in the coming months, while stressing those planned activities will not involve Greenland. NATO’s senior operational commander told reporters the alliance has not yet drawn up a formal Arctic tasking order and is still awaiting further guidance on the scope and mandate of higher-latitude operations.
The statement clarified that parts of the planned activity will be carried out in close coordination with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), but that Greenland itself will not host those specific drills. Separately, the chair of NATO’s Military Committee said Greenland, Denmark and the United States had established a cooperative “framework” and that political-level consultations involving Greenlandic representatives are ongoing; he urged outside observers not to be alarmed and said parties were seeking a solution in the interests of all.
The announcement marks another moment in a steady western pivot toward high-latitude security. As warming seas and longer ice-free seasons open new shipping routes and resource prospects, the Arctic has moved from a peripheral issue to a central strategic theatre for NATO, Russia and increasingly China. NATO’s emphasis on exercises is intended to test readiness, logistics and interoperability in an extreme environment where search-and-rescue, replenishment and command-and-control present acute challenges.
The explicit exclusion of Greenland from the planned exercises is politically significant. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark with growing domestic sensitivity about foreign military activities and sovereignty. Washington and Copenhagen have in recent years deepened defence ties around Greenlandic facilities such as Thule Air Base, and the new three-way “framework” signals continued cooperation while recognising the need for political consultation with Greenlandic actors.
Operationally, the planned drills will serve several functions: they are a training opportunity for alliance forces to operate in Arctic conditions, a reassurance to northern members worried about Russian capabilities, and a signalling mechanism to Moscow and other outside powers that NATO intends to be active at high latitudes. At the same time, NATO’s careful language — no Greenland, no formal tasking yet — indicates a desire to avoid unnecessary escalation or domestic political fallout in Denmark and Greenland.
The coming months will test whether NATO can expand its Arctic footprint in a calibrated way that strengthens deterrence without provoking a regional security spiral. How Moscow reacts, and whether exercises prompt reciprocal deployments or diplomatic friction in Arctic forums, will determine whether these drills remain episodic demonstrations or become a step toward more permanent military posture in the High North.