my search and rescue region – stretches from a latitude of Denmark proper and goes towards the North Pole; we are remote and have few friends to call.” Canada and Denmark share the chal - lenges of a huge AOR, therefore, Kudsk suggests, “it is extremely important that we cooperate across borders and have a Canad a’s Arctic Neighbour close knowledge of each other and also join forces for military exercises. It might not be [solely] for the purpose of doing military Canada’s northland shares a land border with Alaska, but the next closest business, but really to get to know each neighbour is Greenland. FrontLine’s Vancouver-based correspondent and other on a first name basis.” video-journalist, Jane Kokan , spoke with Rear-Admiral Henrik Kudsk The Admiral confirms that “the state of Denmark is in charge of the military in about Greenland Command. Greenland, and in addition to our military tasks, we more or less hold the responsibil - A vast part of the world’s largest island is The Admiral’s active and much deco - ities that would otherwise be [assigned] to almost completely buried beneath a cap of rated career includes command of four sub - a Coastguard, as we do not have a Coast - permanent ice and snow. The distance marines in the Royal Danish Navy (1982 – guard.” Such duties are normally handled from Ellesmere Island (Canada) to Franklin 1986), command of Arctic/Offshore Patrol by the Navy and the Airforce. Island (Greenland) across the Nares Strait, ships (1995-1996) and Branch Head, Special RAdm Kudsk and Brigadier-General is a mere 25 kilometres. In contrast, the Operations, at Allied Joint Task Force Com - Guy Hamel, who commands Joint Task island is almost 1,500 km from Norway – mand in Lisbon, one of NATO’s three oper - Force North, are joint commanders who its link with Europe is historic rather than ational commands (2004-2007). are responsible for all capabilities, regard - geographical. Greenland has had home rule since less of which service they originate from. Rear-Admiral Henrik Kudsk assumed 1979, meaning it has its own government but According to Kudsk, Greenland Com - the post of Island Commander Greenland, is still part of Denmark. (The Faroe Islands mand is responsible for: the military in August 200 7. He proudly claims a “spe - are also part of the Kingdom of Denmark.) defence of Greenland; the surveillance and cial connection to Canada,” saying it is Some political analysts predict that Green - maintenance of territorial sovereignty; more than just geography. “I took the Com - land could gain full independence in the not related maritime duties such as search and manding Officers Qualifying Course for too distant future. In that case, Ottawa rescue, notices to mariners, fishery protec - submarine commanding and I passed the would have to develop a new military and tion, anti-pollution and oil spill recovery in course aboard the Canadian submarine, the political relationship with its potentially the open ocean; and support to local com - Okanagan , so I hold a drivers license for new independent Arctic neighbour. munities such as ice breaking and hydro - your submarines,” he chuckles. The course Kudsk quickly gets back to the chal - graphic surveying. has been dubbed the “perisher” because of lenges of his current job and the extensive Reminiscing about his days as a sub - its high failure rate. area of responsibility. “My responsibility – marine commander, Kudsk says he has par - Today, RAdm Kudsk still proudly dis - ticularly fond memories of his time and the plays HMCS Okanagan’s crest in his office camaraderie aboard the Okanagan (an at Greenland Command, in the port of Kangilinnguit, situated in southwestern Greenland. During the early Cold War years, the naval base at Kangilinnguit, was used to monitor Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic. Rear-Admiral Henrik Kudsk, with P571 HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen N E K I visible in T I L O background. P , K C E B S U M S A R : O T O H P Oberon-class submarine that served the Canadian Forces from 1968-1998). Not long before she was decommis - sioned, the Okanagan had one final mis - sion. She was tasked to search for Swissair Flight 111’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder shortly after the aircraft crashed into the waters at the entrance of St. Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia on 2 Sep - tember 1998. There were no survivors. Peering out at the frenzied snow bliz - zard outside his office, the Danish Admiral is humbled by his Arctic geography. “You D N A have to respect what you are doing up here. M M O It might be beautiful one moment, and a C D N moment later, if you don’t know what you A L N E are doing, it will try to kill you.” E R A Knud Rasmussen Class patrolship, G : O HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen is specially T O Submarines H designed for operations in the Arctic. P Responding to a question about Denmark’s present submarine capabilities and future Icebreaker Assets them in a permanent station to the very far plans, Kudsk replies: “We scrapped the sub - North – [this is] east of your Northwest marines six years ago because, as a small Kudsk, who has spent most of his life at Passage, east of Resolute Bay, but on our nation, we had to focus on our armed sea, describes the Naval assets under his side. Up around the Thule area, we hold a forces.” Yet he acknowledges their impor - current purview. “For designated use in the ship permanently, whenever the ice per - tance, admitting that “the most capable Arctic we have a total of seven ships. We mits. So as soon as the ice thaws, we have war fighting instrument in the Arctic will be have four frigate-sized ships (three and a a ship up there. And we have the same on a submarine.” half thousand tonnes) – they operate heli - the northeast coast of Greenland, on the Discussing potential conflicts in the copters and are ice capable. We normally other side.” Arctic, he explains that “we are not talking keep one permanently stationed around Thule Air Base, across from Ellesmere about militarizing the Arctic at all. We do Greenland and the other permanently sta - Island, is the Northernmost base. “We have not see a military threat in the Arctic. And tioned around the Faroe Islands. In addition been in the vicinity of your Alert Bay with even though, obviously, my first respon - to these four, we have two medium sized ships because of the thaw in recent years.” sibly is formally the defence of Greenland, patrol ships (a little less than two thousand the other part of that military task is really tonnes). And then we have one remaining Arctic Borders sovereignty and surveillance.” small cutter, Tulugaq – which means Raven in the local Inuit language – with a 13-man The international boundary between crew, but still ice capable. In terms of our Canada’s Ellesmere Island and Greenland, HDMS Hvidbjørnen , naval capacities, these ships are spread lies roughly in the middle of tiny Hans a Thetis Class Arctic around. In the summer we deploy two of Island – 1.3 square kilometres of uninhab - patrol frigate, is ited, barren rock. equipped with a The boundaries of the continental shelf LYNX helicopter. between Ellesmere Island and Greenland were agreed upon in 1973. But the two nations couldn’t agree on which country would control the real estate on Hans Island. A topographic map, endorsed by Ottawa, and originally used in 196 7, placed Hans Island entirely in Canadian territory. Then in 2007, after viewing newer satellite imagery, Ottawa admitted that the island D N A is not solely in Canadian territory. M M O Still, over the years, the “dispute” of C D N competing boundary claims has reached A L N almost comic proportions – complete with E E R flag raising ceremonies and a “war of G : O T words” from both sides. Why the big O H P interest in a chunk of frozen rock ? Scien - 24 I Front Line Defence I Issue 1, 2012 I www.frontline-canada.com tists with the Geological Survey of Canada because he believes it’s only a matter of Code as quickly as possible. A document have sampled rocks from Ellesmere Island, time before it happens again – and “we have titled Kingdom of Denmark’s Strategy for the Hans Island and Greenland to test for oil to be prepared,” he asserts. Arctic 2011-2020 (Denmark, Greenland and and gas potential in the region. Wood Cruises through the Northwest pas - the Faroe Islands) lays out the following Mackenzie, an energy consultancy group, sage increased by 70% between 2006 and goals: “The Polar Code will supplement the has pointed out that Greenland could have 2009. It comes as no surprise that residents international maritime safety and environ - reserves of 20 billion barrels of oil, which of Arctic communities worry about the mental conventions which already apply in could turn the semi-autonomous Danish risks that come with these “floating cities.” the Arctic with additional rules on rescue island into one of the world’s major new oil Concerns include: disturbance of wildlife, equipment, fire fighting, ice navigation and regions. So it is entirely possible that dor - accumulating air and water pollution, the navigation in uninhabited areas to allow for mant oil and gas reserves lie somewhere possibilities of major fuel spills, groundings, Arctic conditions. The Polar Code must also between Hans Island and Ellesmere Island. outbreaks of disease and acts of terrorism.