Since US President Donald Trump\u2019s barrage of threats to seize Greenland, authorities on the frozen island have been seeking help from a northern ally: Canada. <\/p>\n
A reserve unit of the Canadian armed forces called the Rangers has long maintained a year-round presence in mostly inaccessible Arctic communities. For three years, authorities in Greenland and Denmark have consulted with Canadian officials on how to set up their own version of the Rangers \u2014 conversations that grew more urgent with Trump\u2019s threats and growing fears of Russian hostility in the Arctic, said Reuters. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe rhetoric coming out of the White House has sped up efforts to rebuff the idea that Arctic communities need the US to come in and save them,\u201d said Whitney Lackenbauer, an honorary lieutenant-colonel Canadian Ranger involved in the talks, who spoke with Reuters during a recent 5,000-kilometer Arctic snowmobile trek by the Rangers. \u201cThe Nordic countries and Canada, we\u2019re increasingly realizing we can come together in military and diplomatic ways to send a message that carries moral weight.\u201d As Canada attempts to pivot away from relying on the US to protect its vast Arctic, Prime Minister Mark Carney is strengthening ties and exchanging security tips with the Nordic countries, which he describes as trusted partners. Canada’s increased defense collaboration with the Nordics is part of Carney’s effort to strengthen alliances between what he calls \u201cmiddle powers\u201d in a world where the United States is considered a less reliable partner. <\/p>\n
The White House said \u200cTrump\u2019s leadership has prompted \u200callies \u201cto recognize the need to meaningfully contribute to their own defense\u201d and that the Arctic is a critical region \u200cfor US national \u2060security and the \u2060economy. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe administration is participating in diplomatic high-level technical talks with the governments of Greenland and Denmark to address the United States\u2019 national security interests in Greenland,\u201d a White House spokesperson said in an email. <\/p>\n
Alliances are shifting in the Arctic as climate change makes it more accessible. Russia has far more military bases than any other nation there and in recent years China has started to increase its presence in the mineral-rich area, mostly in partnership with Russia. While Carney says Canada will no longer rely on any other nation to protect its own territory, he says the Arctic\u2019s greatest threat is from Russia \u2013 and the Nordics have been boosting their own defenses since Russia invaded Ukraine. <\/p>\n
In March, Canada and the five Nordic countries \u2014 Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden \u2014 agreed to deepen their cooperation in military procurement and ramp up defense production to deal with security threats, including cyberattacks. A plan for how Greenland might adapt the Canadian Rangers is expected by the \u2060end of this year, according to government policy documents. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told Reuters she meets regularly with Nordic \u200cofficials to work on collective defense and Arctic security. Canada\u2019s partnership with the United States through NORAD, the North American \u200cAerospace Defense Command, remains critical, she said. But Canada is focused on bolstering new alliances. That includes the opening of a Canadian consulate in Nuuk in February and an invitation to her Nordic counterparts \u200cto visit Canada\u2019s Arctic this year. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to build something new, and it has to be a world order that is built on the values that we \u200crepresent,\u201d Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Carney during the Nordic-Canadian summit in Oslo in March. In April, Alexander Stubb became the first Finnish president to visit Canada in a dozen years and signed several agreements on Arctic cooperation. Stubb and Carney took to the ice in Ottawa for a hockey practice, and afterward Stubb said he and Carney message each other almost every day. <\/p>\n
The two national leaders sometimes chat about hockey or baseball, Stubb told reporters, but \u201cmost of the time it’s about NATO or Ukraine or Iran.” <\/p>\n
NO MORE \u2018FREE PASS IN THE ARCTIC\u2019 FOR HOSTILE NATIONS <\/p>\n
Lackenbauer, the honorary Canadian Ranger lieutenant-colonel, \u200cis also an Arctic expert at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. He said Canada should overhaul its approach to Arctic security just as Nordic countries did after Russian troops marched into Ukraine in 2022. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe more we can go and help Canada\u2019s \u2060allies in northern Europe, the more hostile nations \u2060will get the message that they do not get a free pass in the Arctic,\u201d he said. Among the eight countries that share the Arctic, Canada\u2019s investment in defending the territory has consistently been near the bottom, trailing Russia, the US, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, according to the Arctic Business Index, a network of far north research institutions and analysts. Along with Greenland, Canada has historically spent the least. Last year, Canada hit the NATO target of spending 2% of its GDP on defense, around CA$63 billion, after repeated complaints from Trump. That compared to a low point of just 1% in 2014. <\/p>\n
Neil O\u2019Rourke, Director General at Canada\u2019s Coast Guard for Fleet and Maritime Services, said he and a Danish defense colleague realized years ago that if either country had a serious incident in the Arctic, their first phone call should be to each other. <\/p>\n
\u201cUp north, we\u2019re just across the water and it makes much more sense to share resources than to get help from down south,\u201d O\u2019Rourke said in an interview. He said Canada is also trying to learn more from Norway about how its maritime services handle emergency towing of vessels. <\/p>\n
Rob Huebert, an Arctic expert at the University of Calgary, said working with the US remains critical, noting that the country produces arguably the most advanced military weaponry and that Canada\u2019s military remains highly dependent on the US for protecting its northernmost regions. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we are talking about war-fighting capability, that means working with the US military,\u201d he said. Huebert said Carney\u2019s March trip to observe a Norwegian-led NATO exercise in Bardufoss is perhaps an indication the country\u2019s approach is changing. <\/p>\n
\u201cUntil very recently, Canada\u2019s participation in NATO\u2019s Arctic exercises in the Nordics has been very token,\u201d he said. \u201cBut then all of a sudden because of Trump, we decide we\u2019d better do something with the Nordics.\u201d <\/p><\/p>\n