Blind spot in the North Atlantic

After the end of the Cold War, the USA closed the radar stations installed on Greenland. Now Denmark has once again decided on an Arctic surveillance programme.

After a two-year analysis and planning phase, the Danish parliament decided in February of this year to implement the programme for expanded surveillance of the Arctic air and sea space, which had already been adopted in 2019. A tension-free Arctic is a top political priority for Danish policymakers, but the expansion of the Russian base chain along the Siberian coast is a cause for concern. This applies in particular to the Nagurskoye airbase on the Franz Josef Islands, as fighter bombers can attack the American base at Thule from here with the help of aerial refuelling.