NATO Launches "Arctic Sentinel" Operation to Strengthen Presence in the Arctic Region

Xinhua News Agency, Brussels, February 11 (Reporter Zhang Zhaoqing) - The NATO Allied Command Operations based in Mons, Belgium, announced on the 11th that NATO has launched a multi-domain military operation codenamed "Arctic Sentinel" aimed at strengthening NATO's continued presence in the Arctic and the "High North."

According to the NATO Allied Command Operations, NATO military planners have fully grasped the activities of allied nations in the Arctic and the "High North" through the preparatory work for the "Arctic Sentinel" operation. The command will coordinate various operations of NATO allies in the region to enhance NATO's presence there.

The "Arctic Sentinel" operation is led by NATO's "Joint Force Command Norfolk." In January of this year, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Tod Wolters, announced that NATO has readjusted the boundaries of the joint operational area, incorporating all Nordic countries in the Arctic region into the same command structure, which is unified under the Joint Force Command based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

Against the backdrop of U.S. President Trump's escalating tensions with NATO allies over his interest in acquiring Greenland, NATO officials confirmed on the 3rd of this month that preparations and planning for "Arctic Sentinel" have been initiated.