Canada, U.S. forces conduct winter exercises in Greenland amid heightened tensions

U.S. and Canadian fighter jets recently joined military exercises in Greenland amid harsh winter conditions and frosty political relations. (RCAF)

Canadian and U.S. forces recently completed military exercises through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) in Greenland, amid harsh winter conditions and frosty political relations.

Operation Noble Defender, held between Jan. 28 and Feb. 11, included Canadian CF-18 and U.S. F-16 fighter jets, search and rescue helicopters, refueling and surveillance aircraft, and approximately 125 Canadian and American personnel.

According to a press release from Norad this week, aviators and crews worked in bitter cold as temperatures dropped as low as -34 C before wind chill.

“Over the last three weeks, our integrated American and Canadian Norad teams have demonstrated the ability to operate at the highest level in one of the most austere environments in the world,” U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Shemo said in a news release.

“I am immensely proud of them and their dedication to this mission and appreciate the close cooperation from the Kingdom of Denmark as we train for the defense of Canada and the United States across all domains.”

The operation was held at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, which is the U.S. military’s northernmost installation. The U.S. operates the large arctic base under a 1951 defence agreement with Denmark.

The joint exercise comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and both Canada and Greenland. U.S. President Donald Trump has mused about turning Canada into the 51st state and has also expressed interest in buying Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. The governments of both Canada and Denmark have strongly rejected Trump’s annexation proposals.