Greenland’s defenses are being bolstered against Russia and China, but Trump may be the real target

In the untamed fjords of southwestern Greenland, a fleet of Danish warships patrol the icy waters of what’s become a highly contested Arctic hotspot.

For three centuries, Denmark has been the sovereign power here, a tiny European monarchy still reigning over Greenland’s 57,000 people, as well as its vast swathes of harsh and resource-rich terrain.

But Danish colonial authority – now focused mainly on foreign, defense and economic policy – is facing an unprecedented challenge, and the Scandinavian kingdom is at pains to underline and maintain its military control.

CNN was invited on board the HDMS Niels Juel, a Danish air defense frigate deployed to Greenland for Exercise Arctic Light: a land, sea and air training mission that is just one aspect of Denmark’s intensified military presence, launched in June this year, around its Arctic holdings.

Publicly, Danish officials echo the longstanding concerns of their NATO allies that Russia has been bolstering its offensive capabilities in the Arctic over the past two decades or more.