The SteelNavy.Com Message Board: Re: Number of polar-capable surface warships (Greenland)

Greenland isn’t threatened by China or Russia. Even if they had the capability of mounting an invasion, without prior warning to NATO, they couldn’t keep a ground force supplied in the face of U.S. and NATO opposition.

The Russians are tied up in Ukraine and can’t afford to send experienced units into a hostile environment so far away. They have no carriers, hence can’t supply any tactical airpower, and their limited strategic bomber force would be helpless in the face of NATO fighters.

The Chinese would have to send a slow convoy of ships with troops and supplies halfway around the world. With an escort of carriers they could provide limited air support, but it would probably take the Chinese two weeks or more to get there, all the while NATO would build up its forces to defend the island. And assuming that the Chinese successfully landed troops, their supply lines would be vulnerable to attack over thousands of miles, with no safe ports in between.

The notion that either country would attempt such a folly beggars belief. Only someone who is ignorant, delusional or a liar would suggest it.

Previous Message

I was thinking about the number of polar-capable surface warships.

The Danish Navy has currently:
7 armed patrol ships with ice-breaking capabilities (Thetis and Knud Rasmussen class, both classes designed to be easily upgraded by bolting on additional weapons on Stanflex modules), new ones (more heavily armed) to replace the Thetis class are ordered
5 frigates designed for arctic service in mind (Absalon and Iver Huitfeld class), new ones to replace the Iver Huitfeld class will be soon ordered

The comparison to the much larger US Navy is interesting:
0 armed patrol ships with ice-breaking capabilities (also 0 ordered)
0 surface fighting ships designed for the service in the Arctic in mind (also 0 ordered)

And to the largest navy (in regard of number of ships), the Chinese one (PLAN):
0 armed patrol ships with ice-breaking capabilities (also 0 ordered)
0 surface fighting ships designed for the service in the Arctic in mind (also 0 ordered)

With "armed" I refer to ships more heavily armed than ships with some machine guns on board (every ship can ship some machine guns).

The Danish navy is small, but its ship are designed to be used around Greenland and are either based there or regularly deployed to Greenland. The current programs are aimed to improve these capabilities, both the in regard of patrolling with armed vessels, but also the fighting ability.