Denmark sends conscripts to Greenland for the first time
Denmark has deployed conscripts to Greenland for the first time in its modern history, according to a press release published Tuesday by the Danish Defence.
The first cohort of 11-month conscripts from the Schleswig Foot Regiment landed in Nuuk in early August and has been split between the capital and Kangerlussuaq, where the soldiers are carrying out operational duties as part of the exercise Arctic Endurance. Some will rotate between the two locations during the deployment.
It is also the first time conscripts have been given operational tasks during the exercise rather than training alone. The Danish Defence said operational duty forms part of the extended conscription introduced under the 2024-2033 defence agreement, intended to build combat power in part by freeing up regular personnel for other tasks. The cohort now in Greenland is the first to pass through the longer service, which began in February.
The release framed the deployment as an adjustment to conditions Danish infantry rarely train in. Around Kangerlussuaq, north of the Arctic Circle, the terrain is open rock and treeless plain, with none of the forest cover Danish units normally rely on.
“In Danish nature, as infantry we would rather be in the forest or other closed terrain where you can conceal yourself. But up here there is no closed terrain, so the soldiers have to learn how to hide and camouflage themselves in Arctic terrain,” said Laura, a captain and company commander for the conscripts, quoted in the release. Conscripts and junior officers are identified by first name only, in line with standard Danish military practice.
Arctic Endurance is being run in close coordination with Naalakkersuisut, the Greenlandic government, according to the Danish Defence, which said Copenhagen will continue and expand its military presence and exercise activity in the Arctic and North Atlantic through 2026 alongside several NATO allies. Aircraft, ships and soldiers will be present in and around Greenland in increased numbers in the coming period.
The conscripts will return to Denmark to continue their training once the exercise concludes.
