BERLIN, February 4. /TASS/. NATO’S Allied Command Operations (ACO) in Europe, based in Belgium’s Mons, has started to plan the Arctic Sentry operation in Greenland, Germany’s Der Spiegel journal wrote.
According to the article, its US commander Gen. Alexus Grynkewich has given instructions to start concrete military planning of the mission, named Arctic Sentry. Next week, NATO defense ministers may meet in Brussels to discuss the initial draft of the operative plan.
Colonel Martin O'Donnell, a spokesperson for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, confirmed the information.
At present, the planning is under way for enhancing NATO’s ‘vigilance activity.’ He declined to provide more details, because the planning has only just began.
Apparently, some sort of an initial draft has already been prepared, Der Spiegel said. It envisages regular maneuvers of NATO warships, better airspace control by the alliance’s fighter jets and a temporary deployment of small land forces in Greenland for exercises.
Earlier, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that London supports the creation of the Arctic Sentry mission under the NATO aegis to ensure Greenland’s security. She said that many member countries of the alliance, including the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Norway, allegedly face security threats in the Arctic. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes that NATO will be able to agree on conducting a joint Arctic Sentry mission in Greenland.