Anand wants NATO’s new Arctic Sentry initiative to become permanent

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she wants to see the new NATO initiative in the Arctic, which launched on Wednesday, made permanent.

Arctic Sentry, NATO’s newest military effort, is aimed at shoring up security in the region and comes a month after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his threats to annex Greenland.

At the outset, Arctic Sentry will encompass various military exercises already being fielded by NATO nations, such as Denmark’s Arctic Endurance and Norway’s Cold Response.

Arctic Sentry itself is not a unique military operation and does not involve the permanent or long-term deployment of troops.

Arctic security has been on the agendas of both NATO and Canada in recent years, but Trump’s push to acquire Greenland from Denmark has ramped up tensions within the alliance.

Canada last week opened a consulate in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, which was planned before Trump’s return to the White House but has since become a show of solidarity with Denmark.