The deployment of European troops to Greenland should not be described as a "military mission". This was stated by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
He specified that the 13 Bundeswehr soldiers sent to the island are part of a joint effort with allies, including France, Britain and Norway.
"This is not a military mission, these are not armed forces," Pistorius stressed, adding that the aim was to assess "the conditions" to support future NATO surveillance, support operations and "larger exercises".
He agreed that the Arctic would be "re-militarized by Russia" and China would be more active in the region, explaining that the operation was to "secure that space" as "Greenland is already a NATO area".
Earlier, France and Germany signaled an expanded troop deployment, while Denmark rejected claims of a Chinese threat.
Meanwhile, the White House said that the European troops would not change President Donald Trump's position on Greenland.