NATO has started military planning for an Arctic Sentry mission, a spokesperson for the alliance’s military headquarters SHAPE said on Tuesday, against a backdrop of tensions between the U.S. and European allies over Greenland.

Repeated remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that he wants to acquire Greenland, accusing European allies of failing to properly secure the large Arctic island against Russia or China, have sparked a dispute with Copenhagen over the Danish overseas territory and triggered strains with NATO.

“Planning is underway for a NATO enhanced vigilance activity, named Arctic Sentry,” Colonel Martin O’Donnell, spokesperson for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said, confirming a report by German magazine Spiegel.

He declined to provide additional details as planning had only just begun.

After meeting Trump in Davos in January, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said they had discussed how NATO allies could work collectively to ensure Arctic security, including not just Greenland but the seven NATO nations with land in the Arctic.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said it was very gratifying that military planning for the NATO mission was underway. “It is crucial that we work together with our NATO allies to increase security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic,” he said on social media platform X.

It was not immediately clear whether NATO defence ministers will discuss the topic at their February 12 meeting in Brussels.

Under the alliance’s rules, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. General Alexus Grynkewich, has the authority to plan and execute “enhanced vigilance activities” without needing unanimous approval by the allies.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/

Despite the overarching warming trend, January and February 2026 saw an anomalous and severe weather event. A major winter storm blanketed the White House and the National Mall in several inches of ice and “snowcrete”—a dense, frozen mix that paralyzed local infrastructure. 

• Emergency Measures: The storm prompted a state of emergency in neighboring Delaware and left Washington D.C. crews “chiseling away” at thick ice on sidewalks for days.
• Political Response: The icy conditions reignited local debates over snow removal responsibilities, with some critics questioning the use of National Guard troops for clearing the city’s pedestrian paths. 

Evolving Traditions at the “People’s House”

While natural ice has become less reliable, the White House has historically used the winter season to project a “winter wonderland” image through artifice and tradition. 

• The Nixon Snowman: In 1973, when D.C. snow was too dry to pack, White House groundskeepers had to haul snow in trash cans and add water to create a snowman for a South Lawn party.
• National Pageantry: Since President Calvin Coolidge first lit the National Christmas Tree in 1923, winter at the White House has evolved from a private family affair into a nationally televised event, often featuring elaborate gingerbread houses and indoor decorations to compensate for increasingly mild outdoors.