BRUSSELS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - NATO said on Wednesday it had begun a mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic as part of an agreement to defuse severe tensions within the alliance prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump's desire for the U.S. to acquire Greenland.
The new mission, Arctic Sentry, will coordinate the increasing military presence of NATO allies in the region, including exercises such as Denmark's "Arctic Endurance on Greenland", the alliance's military headquarters said in a statement.
"Arctic Sentry underscores the Alliance's commitment to safeguard its members and maintain stability in one of the world’s most strategically significant and environmentally challenging areas," said U.S. Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
"It will leverage NATO's strength to protect our territory and ensure the Arctic and High North remains secure."
NATO began planning for the mission after Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held talks in Davos last month at the height of the Greenland crisis, sparked by Trump's insistence that the U.S. had to own the territory, which is part of fellow NATO ally Denmark.
Rutte and Trump agreed that NATO would play a greater role in protecting the Arctic, while Denmark, the U.S. and Greenland would hold further discussions about Greenland.
Earlier, British Defence Minister John Healey said British armed forces will play a vital part in NATO's Arctic Sentry mission.
The British government also said the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force security alliance plans major military activity in the High North, with hundreds of personnel due to be deployed across Iceland, the Danish Straits and Norway in an exercise due in September.
The JEF comprises Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
(Reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)
