The king met with them twice in three days - but who are they really?

It is rare for killer whales to pass by Ittoqqortoormiit. The day they did, 24-year-old Hammeken was sitting in a small dinghy.

- I am a little scared of them because they are so smart. We were on a very small boat. It was absolutely crazy, he says and continues:

- There were quite a few killer whales, but fortunately we were not the only boat. This is the first time we have caught a killer whale in Ittoqqortoormiit.

But how do you catch a killer whale?

- You just do it. Try your hand, as Hammeken says dryly.

Now Hammeken stands tall with a straight back and sleepy eyes, together with 23 other Greenlandic youth, in front of his room for the morning inspection. Most of them are in their early twenties, and the roommates, shared bathrooms and the PlayStation in the common room could indicate that we are at a college. But we are so far from that.

We are visiting the Greenlandic recruits at the Arctic Basic Training in Kangerlussuaq. Hammeken is a quiet guy with big dreams that take him back to his homeland in East Greenland. Dreams whose seeds were sown during the training, and which we will return to later.

As a child, Hammeken went on trips to Walrus Bay or went hunting with his grandfather. He is used to being in nature. From the age of 18, he himself was a commercial fisherman. Often on trips for several days alone.

One day Hammeken was scrolling on his phone. An ad appeared on Facebook for Arctic Basic Training. At first he just kept scrolling. But then "someone came with the ships," as Hammeken puts it. Arctic Command had come to town to promote Arctic Basic Training. Hammeken went to their presentation, and just like when he was about to catch a killer whale for the first time, he just jumped into it.

- After the presentation, I thought, "Why not?" It's exciting to try something new. I applied with my friend Danny, and now here we are, he says.

Robust young people with Erfalasorput on their shoulders

When the sleep has rubbed out of their eyes and the caffeine from a morning coffee bought from the vending machine in the common room has started their bloodstream, the young recruits settle into a classroom. The program at Arctic Basic Training - or simply ABU - varies from day to day. The training, which is under the Arctic Command, provides military, maritime and emergency preparedness skills in one large, blended Greenlandic military training course. Young soldiers with special knowledge of Greenlandic conditions are sought after - especially in the times we live in.

- We hope that the young people will come out of this as strengthened individuals and as skilled soldiers, firefighters and police officers, so that they can go out and create robustness and security wherever they come from, says Captain in the Armed Forces and Head of the training, Mathias La Cour Vågen, when asked what the training actually is.

La Cour is a gentle man, with a sharp, closely trimmed beard, who took over responsibility for the training back in September 2025.

A few days earlier, Mathias La Cour Vågen was sitting in a bouncing car on his way out to a shooting range exercise and gave an interview to DR's news podcast Genstart and Jyllands-Posten. TV2 and DR were visiting the week before. Most recently, the King visited the Arctic Basic Training twice. Media coverage and big politics have affected the training.

- We feel the geopolitical situation in such a way that we have contributions up here (in Kangerlussuaq, ed.) from the army, with whom we train. The students get the opportunity to collaborate and train with people who are further along in their careers with the Armed Forces. That way they become better at and are able to develop their skills, explains Mathias La Cour Vågen.

One of the reasons for the recent great attention is the political decision to increase the intake from 30 to 50 students from the upcoming year. The increased intake speaks to a general upscaling of the military presence in Greenland. But in the midst of media coverage and big politics, Mathias La Cour Vågen reminds us that the students are young people focused on what is happening right in front of their own noses.

- There are all sorts of people around them (the students) who think big thoughts. They are in the present and have to come to terms with important people and journalists coming to visit. Something special for me is seeing how the young people wear the uniform with the Greenlandic flag proudly on their shoulders. They ask if they have the opportunity to travel in their uniform, and that is because they want to show that they are students at the Arctic Basic Education and part of creating something great in Greenland. It touches me.

We are here to help them so that they can defend their country

In matching red t-shirts with the text "Forsvaret" on the back, the recruits from ABU point and direct around the hall in Kangerlussuaq. It is sports day, and ABU has invited other soldiers who are in Kangerlussuaq as part of the Danish-led military exercise Arctic Endurance to compete in the Arctic Games, as a kind of commonwealth cultural exchange. Freja Schmidt is one of the deployed soldiers from the Jutland Dragon Regiment who is taking part in the sports day.

- We work together in the field, so this is a good way to get to know them (Arctic Basic Education). We are here to help them so that they can defend their country. We are here because we want to, and not because we are forced to, says Freja Schmidt in the resounding hall.

After several hours of competitions in Arctic Games, table football and chiefs' ball, winners have been found. A mix of soldiers from the Jutland Dragoon Regiment and the Medical Command take a narrow victory over Arctic Basic Training Team 3.

I have learned things that I can use for the rest of my life

24-year-old Hammeken probably didn't expect that he would have sports day side by side with Danish soldiers when he applied to ABU. But that may be very telling for these times. The only thing you can count on is that you can't count on anything. Although Hammeken was ready to try something new when he started at ABU, he has also had to get used to a whole new life, he says. From steering his own sled to standing up straight at 7:30 a.m.

- It was tough at first. You went from freedom to a strict and structured everyday life, and it was a bit difficult to talk to the other students at first. You didn't know where their limits were.

Despite a challenging start, Hammeken tells of a successful stay.

- You get used to it all, and I've learned things I can use for the rest of my life. I've learned about discipline and made good friends.

And so we're back at the start. The education has given Hammeken the courage to defend Greenland more. He dreams of the patrol that Trump has laughed at, but which is nothing to laugh at. The Sirius patrol.

- It's something I know. Being out on the sled and in nature for several days in a row. I think I can. I think it would be exciting to be on a sled ride for several months and be with the dogs, Hammeken confirms.