A reserve unit of the Canadian Armed Forces called the Rangers has long maintained a year-round presence in mostly inaccessible Arctic communities. For three years, authorities in Greenland and Denmark have consulted with Canadian officials on how to set up their own version of the Rangers amid growing fears of Russian hostility in the Arctic. “The Nordic countries and Canada, we’re increasingly realizing we can come together in military and diplomatic ways to send a message that carries moral weight,” said Whitney Lackenbauer, an honorary lieutenant-colonel Canadian Ranger involved in the talks, who spoke with Reuters during a recent 5,000-kilometer Arctic snowmobile trek by the Rangers.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is strengthening ties and exchanging security tips with the Nordic countries, which he describes as trusted partners. Canada’s increased defense collaboration with the Nordics is part of Carney’s effort to strengthen alliances between what he calls “middle powers.”
Russia has far more Arctic military bases than any other nation. In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) also has started to increase its presence in the mineral-rich area, mostly in partnership with Russia. Carney said the Arctic’s greatest threat is from Russia, and the Nordics have been boosting their own defenses since Russia invaded Ukraine.
In March, Canada and the five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – agreed to deepen their cooperation in military procurement and ramp up defense production to deal with security threats, including cyberattacks.
A plan for how Greenland might adapt the Canadian Rangers is expected by the end of 2026, according to government policy documents. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told Reuters she meets regularly with Nordic officials to work on collective defense and Arctic security. That includes the opening of a Canadian consulate in Nuuk in February and an invitation to her Nordic counterparts to visit Canada’s Arctic in 2026.
In April, Alexander Stubb became the first Finnish president to visit Canada in a dozen years and signed several agreements on Arctic cooperation. Stubb and Carney took to the ice in Ottawa for a hockey practice, and afterwards Stubb said he and Carney message each other almost every day. The two national leaders sometimes chat about hockey or baseball, Stubb told reporters, but “most of the time it’s about NATO or Ukraine or Iran.”
Lackenbauer said Canada should overhaul its approach to Arctic security just as Nordic countries did after Russian troops marched into Ukraine in 2022. “The more we can go and help Canada’s allies in Northern Europe, the more hostile nations will get the message that they do not get a free pass in the Arctic,” he said.
In 2025, Canada hit the NATO target of spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defense, around $59 billion.
Neil O’Rourke, director-general at Canada’s Coast Guard for Fleet and Maritime Services, said he and a Danish defense colleague realized years ago if either country had a serious incident in the Arctic, their first phone call should be to each other. “Up north, we’re just across the water and it makes much more sense to share resources than to get help from down south,” O’Rourke said in an interview.
He said Canada also is trying to learn more from Norway about how its maritime services handle emergency towing of vessels. Rob Huebert, an Arctic expert at the University of Calgary, said working with the U.S. remains critical, noting the country produces arguably the most advanced military weaponry and that Canada’s military remains highly dependent on the U.S. for protecting its northernmost regions. “If we are talking about warfighting capability, that means working with the U.S. military,” he said.