NATO starts military planning for Arctic mission amid Greenland dispute

NATO has started military planning for an Arctic Sentry mission, a spokesperson for the alliance's military headquarters SHAPE said on Tuesday, against

a backdrop of tensions between the U.S. and European allies over Greenland.



Repeated remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that he wants to acquire Greenland, accusing ‍European allies of failing to properly secure the large Arctic island against Russia or China, has sparked a dispute ⁠with Copenhagen over the Danish overseas territory and triggered strains with NATO.



"Planning is underway for a NATO enhanced vigilance activity, named Arctic Sentry," Colonel Martin O'Donnell, spokesperson for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said, confirming a report by German magazine Spiegel.



He declined to provide additional details as planning had only just begun.