Sweden will send JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to Greenland to patrol.
This is stated by the Swedish Ministry of Defense in a press release.
The planes will patrol the area around Greenland and Iceland, it says.
- This strengthens deterrence, protects our common interests and contributes to stability in a region that is crucial for Europe and transatlantic cooperation, says Ulf Kristersson in the release.
The JAS 39 Gripen aircraft are produced by the Swedish arms manufacturer Saab.
Sweden's contribution is part of the NATO mission Arctic Sentry, which aims to strengthen security in the Arctic.
The mission comes after the serious tensions that US President Donald Trump's claim to ownership of Greenland triggered.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his concern about security in the Arctic in relation to Russian and Chinese interests.
The president therefore believed until recently that it was necessary for Greenland to come into American hands.
However, after a meeting at the end of January with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump changed his mind. Since then, the focus has been on increasing security in the Arctic.
With Arctic Sentry, NATO takes over the coordination of the military presence in the entire Arctic - and not just in Greenland.
This is happening with American support, although it is still unknown to what extent the United States will participate.
Arctic Sentry will be led by Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk). It is a joint force command whose area of responsibility has included the entire Arctic region since December.
The Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen (V), said earlier Thursday that he expects Denmark to contribute aircraft, military personnel and maritime contributions to security in the Arctic.
