Miilu Gehlert has just spent hours captaining a water taxi deep into the Nuuk Fjord, a winding waterway that lies just north of Greenland's capital.
But it's far from the most difficult task he's had to navigate.
"We were out for four days and maybe managed to get around 10 hours of sleep in four days," he recalled of one tour. "Full of mosquitoes, not a lot of sleep, had to keep an eye open for enemies — yeah, it was tough."
Gehlert was among the first-ever class of recruits in Greenland's Arctic Basic Training program. Launched last year and overseen by the Danish military, it aims to train young Greenlanders in emergency preparedness and search and rescue.
Miilu Gehlert stands outside the water taxi he’s steered through Nuuk Fjord. He was among the inaugural class of recruits in Greenland’s Arctic Basic Training program last year. (Emma Godmere/CBC)
"You had a lot of training with firemen and policemen," Gehlert said of the program. "I was in the Faroe Islands, I was in Iceland.… I sailed from Iceland to Nuuk … two weeks with the Navy.… I did a lot of great things."
The program is just one example of how Denmark and Greenland are working together to strengthen security of the vast territory, home to a population of just 56,000 residents spread out across the planet's largest island.
"Greenland is so big, and we have not a lot of people to protect it," Gehlert said. "And now that the U.S.A. is threatening us … yeah, we need to improve."
The House 17:19 Checking in on Canada's other next-door neighbour Canada and Greenland already had plenty in common before facing threats of annexation from the White House — but all that attention could make for a timely reason to strengthen a key relationship. CBC's Emma Godmere traveled to Greenland’s capital of Nuuk to hear from residents about being in the international spotlight and pursuing stronger ties with Canada. Her reporting was made possible by the R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship.
Threats facing Greenland
U.S. President Donald Trump initially floated his desire to purchase Greenland during his first term in office. Since the beginning of his second, he has repeatedly raised the need to "get" Greenland.
"We need Greenland very importantly for international security. We have to have Greenland," Trump said as Vice-President JD Vance visited Pituffik Space Base on the island in March.
WATCH | Report says Americans undertook influence operations in Greenland: Report says Americans undertook influence operations in Greenland Duration 7:05 Denmark’s foreign minister has summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen following a news report that claims Americans connected to U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration planned covert influence operations in Greenland. The report came from DR, the country's public broadcaster.
The self-governing territory, which remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is already home to one permanent U.S. military base and continues to attract geopolitical interest due to its mineral resources and its location in the North Atlantic.
As melting sea ice opens up more shipping routes in the Arctic, countries like Russia and China are growing more and more interested in sending vessels into northern waters — something that the Danish forces' Joint Arctic Command is also watching closely.
"Climate change drives a lot of activities in the Arctic area, and that will provide even larger tasks for the military force," said Deputy Commander Lars Nielsen, who also pointed out the unique needs involved with securing such a large area.
Nielsen said the landmass stretches 2,700 kilometres, with between 80 and 90 per cent of it covered in ice. "Which makes it on one hand quite difficult to protect," he said, "but access is also equally difficult."
As challenges mount, Nielsen said the interest in working together with Greenland's closest neighbour remains high.
"I think that the Danish-Canadian co-operation is important for this area. Joint Arctic Command is the military authority in Greenland, and [we] are very eager to strengthen the co-operation between Denmark, Greenland and Canada."
A 'not for sale' T-shirt — reminiscent of similar styles in Canada — is displayed outside a shop in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. (Emma Godmere/CBC)
Stronger ties with Canada
Canada's ambassador to Denmark, Carolyn Bennett, echoed that enthusiasm in an interview with CBC News.
"This isn't foreign affairs, this is family," said the former federal minister, pointing to the shared Inuit population across both Greenland and Canada's north. "And so I think that we really want to build on those relationships and respect those relationships."
One way the federal government is aiming to strengthen ties is through opening a consulate in Nuuk — an objective laid out in its Arctic foreign policy, unveiled late last year. Global Affairs Canada said this week there is no further update on a timeline for its opening.
Canada’s ambassador to Denmark, Carolyn Bennett, stands outside the Nuuk headquarters of the Danish forces’ Joint Arctic Command. (Emma Godmere/CBC)
Greenland is eager to reciprocate with diplomatic representation in Ottawa, as detailed in its own foreign, security and defence policy published last year. In it, Greenland's government emphasized Canada's position as "our closest neighbour," adding: "In challenging times like this in the Arctic, it is important for like-minded neighbours to nurture their ties."
Bennett acknowledged that the heightened attention both Greenland and Canada have faced in recent months from the U.S. makes for a critical moment to strengthen the relationship.
"I think Canadians believe that Greenland is a sovereign nation that needs to be able to speak for itself. There are people that live there and people who have chosen a government … this is not a real estate deal," said Bennett. "This is about the sovereignty of a peoples, and a nation, and resources."
Bennett also noted that Canada can continue to support Greenland as the territory navigates its relationship with the U.S.
The colourful houses of Greenland’s capital Nuuk, as seen from the water. (Emma Godmere/CBC)
"I think what one hears is that there was an open door … they were very, very open to American support, and I think it has been disappointing to them that that open door was not acknowledged," she said, referring to a willingness to allow for more potential U.S. military bases and investing in mining for critical minerals.
"And so I think it's very important that Canada understand that, and say if the Americans want more bases or Arctic security, if they want investments in critical minerals, that we are supporting the Greenlandic approach — which maintains their sovereignty."
Over at the Greenland National Museum and Archives, curator Frederik Fuuja Larsen said he has seen an outpouring of support for Greenland from Canadians — and vice versa.
"You see [on] Facebook, you can see that the people in Canada are very with us, thinking about Trump [wanting] to buy Greenland ... [wanting] Canada as a 51st state," he said. "We're in the same boat, actually, Greenland and Canada."
Frederik Fuuja Larsen, curator of the Greenland National Museum and Archives, points to one of the northernmost areas of the island on an archival map. As an archeologist, Larsen has participated in digs along the coast so close to Canada, it’s visible across the water. (Emma Godmere/CBC)
An archeologist by trade, Larsen underscored how these ties have run deep for generations.
"Our direct ancestors … the Thule Inuit people, are the same people who also live in Canada and Alaska now," he said. "So we are very tied with these people — we are actually families, the Arctic people in Canada and Alaska and Greenland."
Larsen says the online solidarity is all the more meaningful from a country as large and as closely linked as Canada.
"These waves of supporting each other — somehow it feels very safe, actually."
[SRC] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/annexation-canada-greenland-trump-1.7645001
