Sweden Sends Gripen Fighter Jets to NATO Mission in the Arctic

Sweden has provided JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to participate in NATO’s Arctic Sentry military operation.

This was reported by the press service of the Swedish Ministry of Defence.

The NATO military mission aims to strengthen security in the Arctic and the Far North.

As part of this mission, Sweden is deploying its JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to patrol areas around Iceland and Greenland.

“As Russia arms itself and cooperation between Russia and China deepens, the Alliance must strengthen its presence and raise awareness of the situation in the Arctic. We are providing expertise, capabilities, and resources to strengthen deterrence and protect critical infrastructure,” said Swedish Defence Minister Påul Jonsson.

The day before, NATO launched the Arctic Sentry military mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic as part of its commitments to US President Donald Trump, who emphasized the vulnerability of the region, particularly Greenland.

The mission will coordinate the growing military presence of NATO’s European allies in the region, including military exercises such as Denmark’s Arctic Resilience in Greenland operation.

Germany will also join the NATO Arctic Sentry mission by sending four Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.

The German fighter jets will be based in Iceland. The main tasks of the air group will be air patrols and air combat training.

Earlier, British Defence Minister John Gilli said that the British armed forces would play a vital role in NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission.

In January, European NATO member countries announced that they would send their troops to Greenland to plan the upcoming military mission.

At that time, the Greenlandic government stated that it would intensify its efforts to ensure the defense of the Arctic territory under NATO’s auspices and again rejected US President Donald Trump’s statements about the possible establishment of control over the island.