Denmark has announced the immediate purchase of equipment to monitor underwater infrastructure and several hundred naval mines, as part of a broader push to strengthen its defense
capabilities in response to growing geopolitical tensions in the Arctic and Baltic regions.
The Danish Ministry of Defense is also advancing its technological edge, launching a new drone development program. Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen inaugurated a military drone facility this week at Odense Airport on Funen Island.
Further plans include acquiring 21 new patrol vessels for the navy and four ships dedicated to environmental protection. A decision on building new frigates will follow the expected adoption of NATO’s updated defense plan at the Alliance summit in The Hague this June.
Denmark's strategic location—controlling straits that link the Baltic and North Seas—underscores its growing role in regional security. It also has defense obligations in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions, due to its governance of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
The defense upgrades follow criticism from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who, during a visit to the U.S. Space Force base in Pituffik, Greenland, accused Denmark of underinvesting in the defense of the Arctic island. He even suggested Greenland might be better protected by the U.S.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded sharply, calling Vance’s comments “unfair” and reaffirming Denmark’s status as a “loyal NATO ally of the U.S.”
In February, Denmark pledged an additional 50 billion kroner (€6.7 billion) for defense spending in 2025-26, pushing military expenditures above 3% of GDP. Frederiksen is scheduled to visit Greenland from April 2 to 4 to meet with the territory’s newly formed government amid renewed U.S. interest in the Arctic. Photo by Topory, Wikimedia commons.