COPENHAGEN – On the final leg of a four-country visit to strengthen security cooperation between the National Guard and its European partners, top National Guard officials met with leaders of the Danish military and the We talked about the prospect of deep engagement. .
Denmark, a founding member of NATO and a strong ally of the United States, contributes steadily to multinational operations. The Danish army is considered to be a capable military force. So why work with the National Guard?
Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, director of the National Guard Bureau, outlined the National Guard’s ability to provide a wide range of capabilities.
“The National Guard makes up 20 percent of the joint force,” Hokanson said. “The Army has eight divisions and the Air Force has 90 air wings. We are the Army and Air Force Reserves, so we leverage our training, personnel and equipment to assist in times of crisis. It can assist domestic civil authorities.
“We are also working with partner countries around the world through our National Partnership Program to build capacity and compatibility,” he said. “Many of our Guard members serve in the same unit throughout their careers, creating lasting relationships with international Guard members.”
The State Partnership Program is a Department of Defense program administered by the Guard Bureau and implemented by the states, territories, and District of Columbia. Through SPP, the Guard partners with 100 countries in cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships to support the security cooperation objectives of the Department of State, Department of Defense, and Combatant Commands.
One practical and strategic advantage the CNGB sees in partnering with Denmark is that the Guard could potentially engage the entire Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
“The Kingdom of Denmark is of strategic importance to NATO and the entire region,” Håkansson said. “It would be extremely beneficial for the Guard to train in Greenland and develop the ability to operate in an arctic environment.”
Greenland, the world’s largest island, is an autonomous territory of Denmark. The Danish Armed Forces is responsible for defending and ensuring security of approximately 840,000 square miles of territory. Denmark’s Joint Arctic Force is headquartered in Nuuk, Greenland, and commands the country’s armed forces from there.
The foundations are already in place for strengthening cooperation between the Guards and the Danish Armed Forces.
Last September, the New York National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing trained with a Danish rescue wing during Exercise ARCTIC LIGHT in Greenland.
In November 2023, Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, adjutant general of the New York Army, and Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, commander of the Danish Joint Arctic Command, signed a letter of intent to establish joint training and exchanges with the New York military in Greenland. Guard and Arctic Joint Force.
Through the agreement, Denmark and the New York Guard will conduct joint training, key leadership consultations, and observer exchanges this year and in 2025.
The New York Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing regularly sends missions to Greenland and Antarctica to resupply U.S. research bases. The 109th Airman operates his LC-130 Hercules aircraft, the only ski-equipped aircraft in the Department of Defense.
Andersen agreed with the CNGB, saying, “It takes expertise and training to be effective in the Arctic.” He added that the Danish military’s focus areas in Greenland include disaster relief, infrastructure protection, support to local authorities, icebreaking and search and rescue.
Last December, Copenhagen and Washington signed a defense cooperation agreement that allows U.S. troops and military equipment to be based on Danish territory. Northwestern Greenland is already home to Pitufik Space Station (formerly Thule Air Base), the Pentagon’s northernmost facility.
Denmark has been actively contributing to the military defense of NATO’s Baltic states for many years. Copenhagen is preparing to send a frigate to take part in Operation Prosperity Guardian, a US-led multinational operation to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. The Danish pilots have been training with National Guard pilots and other international allies in Tucson, Arizona. Ukrainian pilots will soon be trained in Denmark.
Later this year, Denmark plans to send F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to Ukraine to support Ukraine’s continued fight against Russia’s unprovoked aggression.
Danish Defense Secretary General Flemming Lentfer told Hökansson that there are great opportunities to cooperate with the National Guard in the areas of cyber defense and hybrid threats.
The Guard has cyber units in 42 states to assist civilian authorities as needed.
“I look forward to the opportunity to work together in the future,” Rentfer said.
Håkansson also met with Kasper Högjensen, Permanent Secretary for Security Policy and Operations at the Danish Ministry of Defense, who explained that there can be as many or as few partnerships with the Guard as the partner country desires.
“As a kingdom, we are always looking to expand our cooperation with the United States,” Hegg-Jensen said. “This seems like something that would be beneficial to everyone.”
Eric Darr, Jaclyn Lyons, and Staff Sergeant Sean Madden of the New York National Guard contributed.