Denmark Signs Defense Cooperation Agreement with Canada, Greenland

Denmark, Canada, Greenland and the Faroe Islands have signed a defense cooperation agreement expanding operational coordination, Arctic surveillance and capability development across the North Atlantic and High North.

The memorandum was signed on February 13 in Munich by Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, Canadian Defence Minister David J. McGuinty, Faroese Foreign Affairs Minister Sirið Stenberg and Greenland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Motzfeldt.

The agreement strengthens cooperation between the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands — and Canada in defense innovation, technology, capacity building, education, training and joint exercises. It also mandates closer operational cooperation, enhanced surveillance in shared areas of interest, and deeper intelligence and knowledge sharing, with officials pointing to short- and medium-term deliverables.

“I am pleased that we can stand here today – Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland – united on a defense cooperation agreement with Canada that strengthens our common security. We need our friends, and we share the Canadian will to strengthen transatlantic ties and solve future tasks together,” Poulsen said.

Stenberg said the North Atlantic and High North have gained “increased strategic importance,” adding that the Faroe Islands are ready to assume greater responsibility under their national security policy.

McGuinty framed the agreement as a signal of deterrence within NATO. “Canada is an Arctic nation — and we will defend the North,” he said. “This defence co-operation agreement strengthens our collective deterrence and our ability to operate seamlessly with our NATO partners in the High North. Today, we send a clear message — the Arctic is secure, and we will keep it that way.”

The accord is not a treaty and does not extend obligations beyond NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause. It formalizes and accelerates existing cooperation, including Denmark’s troop contributions to the Canadian-led NATO brigade in Latvia and procurement ties such as Denmark’s 2025 purchase of 26,000 Canadian-made C-8 MRR carbines.

Denmark has moved to reinforce Greenland’s defenses following statements by U.S. President Donald Trump asserting interest in U.S. “ownership and control” of the island, which he previously described as an “absolute necessity” for national security. Trump later said he would not use force and indicated a framework was under discussion to address U.S. security concerns.

The agreement was signed as NATO launched the Arctic Sentry initiative to coordinate exercises and alliance responses in the region. In Munich, French President Emmanuel Macron called for Europe to defend its interests, referencing disagreements over Greenland and broader security pressures.