U.S. and Canadian air force members conducted joint military drills in Greenland in practice for action under bitterly cold conditions.
Operation Noble Defender took place from Jan. 28 through Feb. 11 at Pituffick Air Force Base, the U.S. military's northernmost installation, according to NORAD. The roughly 100 total service members had to operate in temperatures that were regularly below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, sometimes dropping as low as -28 degrees.
"Over the last three weeks, our integrated American and Canadian NORAD teams have demonstrated the ability to operate at the highest level in one of the most austere environments in the world," Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Shemo said in a statement.
"I am immensely proud of them and their dedication to this mission and appreciate the close cooperation from the Kingdom of Denmark as we train for the defense of Canada and the United States across all domains," he added.
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The joint military exercise comes weeks after President Donald Trump pushed the idea of the U.S. purchasing Greenland, an idea that has been rebuffed by Denmark, its current owner.
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Trump has signaled interest in acquiring Greenland since 2019, calling it a potentially "large real estate deal," toward the end of his first term. In December, he ramped up calls for the U.S. to acquire the Danish territory and called it a national security issue.
President Donald Trump has called for purchasing Greenland since 2019. (Fox News / Special Report)
"[F]or purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," the then-president-elect wrote in a Truth Social post at the time.
At the beginning of February, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen affirmed that Greenland is "not for sale," but said she was open to the U.S. increasing its footprint in the Arctic region.
Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, with the domes of the Thule Tracking Station, is pictured in northern Greenland on Oct. 4, 2023. The base changed its name in early 2023. The reason for the new name is, among other things, that the base is no longer staffed by people from the US Air Force, but instead from the US Space Force, which was established in December 2019. (THOMAS TRAASDAHL/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
"I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, that the Arctic region is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defense and security and deterrence," Frederiksen said, referencing Chinese and Russian activity in the region. "And it is possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland. They [the U.S.] are already there, and they can have more possibilities."