German frigate begins NATO deployment as tensions soar over Greenland

Amid growing tensions between the United States and Denmark over control of Greenland, a German Navy frigate sailed Tuesday to join NATO forces overseeing strategic passages in the North and Baltic Seas and the North Atlantic.

The Saxony left the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven in the afternoon with about 250 soldiers on board, a navy spokesman said.

The ship will join Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG 1), a maritime task force consisting of several destroyers and frigates deployed by different NATO allies, as well as a supply ship.

“Saxony’s primary mission in SNMG 1 will be to monitor and protect strategic sea routes and critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic Sea,” Navy Commander Wolfgang Eckmüller said in a statement. he said.

The ship set sail as tensions rise over renewed U.S. threats to annex Greenland, the world’s largest island, a largely autonomous region in the North Atlantic and part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Copenhagen strongly denies the allegations and was backed by seven European leaders who expressed solidarity with Greenland on Tuesday.

In the statement signed by the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, England and Denmark, “It belongs to the people of Greenland. It is up to Denmark and Greenland to decide on issues that concern Denmark and Greenland.”

Last weekend, Trump again claimed that the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons, citing the growing presence of Chinese and Russian ships in the region.

The German frigate deployed on Tuesday is 143 meters long and is equipped with a special radar capable of monitoring airspace the size of the entire North Sea, according to the German armed forces.

The ship is also equipped with anti-aircraft missiles.

Besides regular troops, it also carries members of a naval air squadron and a group of dentists.

Saxony will replace the frigate Hamburg in the NATO fleet, which returned to Germany shortly before Christmas after nearly six months at sea.

Saxony is scheduled to return to its home port in mid-July.