{"id":469927,"date":"2026-02-12T09:49:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/469927\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:49:10","slug":"canada-wants-natos-new-arctic-sentry-security-mission-to-become-permanent-anand-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/469927\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada wants NATO\u2019s new Arctic Sentry security mission to become permanent, Anand says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Greenland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, Foreign Minister Anita Anand, and her Danish counterpart, Lars L\u00f8kke Rasmussen, meet at Canada’s newly opened consulate in Nuuk last week. Arctic Sentry will co-ordinate the increasing military presence of NATO allies in the region.Ida Marie Odgaard\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n

Canada would like to see NATO\u2019s<\/a> new Arctic Sentry mission become permanent as part of a greater focus on the North for the Western alliance, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says.<\/p>\n

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization announced Wednesday it has launched this mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic, as part of an agreement to defuse severe tensions within the alliance prompted by President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> desire for the United States to acquire Greenland.<\/p>\n

Arctic Sentry will co-ordinate the increasing military presence of NATO allies in the region, including exercises such as Denmark\u2019s \u201cArctic Endurance on Greenland,\u201d the alliance\u2019s military headquarters said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Ms. Anand, speaking at the Arctic360 Conference in Toronto Wednesday, said Canada wants the mission to be permanent and for NATO to put more focus on its northern flank \u2013 which has been broadened now that Sweden and Finland have joined the alliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing Operation Arctic Sentry taking shape within the NATO context. We would like to see that initiative be permanent,\u201d Ms. Anand said. <\/p>\n

Canada and France set to establish diplomatic presence in Greenland amid Trump threats<\/a><\/p>\n

She said the Western alliance needs to shift more attention to the Arctic.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada\u2019s role in NATO has historically been one where we export our defence to Europe,\u201d the minister said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the moment in time where NATO, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, must look north, and not only east.\u201d<\/p>\n

Citing NATO\u2019s Operation Arctic Sentry and Canada\u2019s regular military exercises in the region, the Foreign Minister emphasized the need to \u201cmake sure that we have that strength on a continuous basis in the Arctic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Anand said Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s government is preparing to release a new national-security policy, which would be followed by a new foreign policy. <\/p>\n

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the operation is aimed at both Russia and China.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is really new about it is that for the first time now, we will bring everything we do in the Arctic together under one command,\u201d Mr. Rutte told reporters in Brussels. He said it would help the alliance to assess the security gaps that need to be filled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the face of Russia\u2019s increased military activity and China\u2019s growing interest in the High North, it was crucial that we do more,\u201d Mr. Rutte added.<\/p>\n

U.S. relations improving but Greenland crisis not over, Denmark\u2019s Foreign Minister says<\/a><\/p>\n

NATO ministers, including Defence Minister David McGuinty, are expected to flesh out the plan for Arctic Sentry Thursday during a meeting in Brussels.<\/p>\n

Denmark and Britain both said Wednesday they plan to contribute to Arctic Sentry.<\/p>\n

Canada will be contributing to the new NATO operation and details will be released in the coming days, Mr. McGuinty\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s ambassador to Canada, Tjorven Bellmann, told the Toronto conference her country\u2019s vision for the new NATO mission is modelled on the alliance\u2019s Operation Baltic Sentry. This was launched in early 2025 after a series of suspected sabotage attacks on energy pipelines and communications cables in the Baltic Sea. The NATO operation deploys naval warships, submarines, surveillance drones and aircraft to monitor and track vessels across the strategically important waterway that lies between NATO territory and Russia.<\/p>\n

NATO began planning for the new Arctic mission after Mr. Trump and Mr. Rutte held talks in Davos, Switzerland, last month at the height of Mr. Trump\u2019s insistence that the U.S. had to own Greenland, which is part of fellow NATO ally Denmark.<\/p>\n

\u201cArctic Sentry underscores the Alliance\u2019s commitment to safeguard its members and maintain stability in one of the world\u2019s most strategically significant and environmentally challenging areas,\u201d said U.S. Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich, NATO supreme allied commander Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will leverage NATO\u2019s strength to protect our territory and ensure the Arctic and High North remains secure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canada unveiled billions more in defence spending in the November, 2025, budget, with an increased focus on the Arctic. The government is building a network of operational support hubs across the North to bolster military activities and local communities.<\/p>\n

Earlier commitments include billions to modernize the joint-Canada North American Aerospace Defence Command, including over-the-horizon radar and the purchase of early warning aircraft. <\/p>\n

With reports from Reuters and Associated Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Greenland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, Foreign Minister Anita Anand, and her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469928,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,714,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-469927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}