The Joint Arctic Command (JACMD - ; ; ) is a direct Level II authority in the Danish Defence. Joint Arctic Command's primary mission in peacetime is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The command also handles tasks such as fisheries inspection, search and rescue (SAR), patient transport and other tasks that support the civil society. In short, the Joint Arctic Command handles military tasks, coast guard duties and disaster response - all in one organisation.
History
On 31 October 2012, the Island Command Faroes and Island Command Greenland were merged under the name Joint Arctic Command, which is a joint operational command with serving personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force, Danish Armed Forces as well as civilians. As a result of the Defence Agreement 2010-2014, it was decided to close the two commands and replace them with the joint service Arctic Command. The command acts as the connection point and coordinator of cooperation between the armed forces and local authorities. Both Island Commands Faroes and Greenland were previously also components of the NATO Command Structure (NCS), but there is no confirmation that the new Arctic Command is in the NCS as well.
It is the 1st Squadron that handles tasks pertaining to Arctic Ocean affairs, such as maritime defence and enforcement of sovereignty in Greenlandic and Faroese territorial waters. The 1st Squadron is administratively based at Naval Base Frederikshavn.
It has provided units for international tasks, such as the environmental recovery vessel Gunnar Seidenfaden for the cleanup after the Prestige oil spill and the ocean patrol vessel Thetis for the protection force programme of WFP chartered ships at the Horn of Africa. Vessels operated by 1st Squadron.
In 2019, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation broadcast a four-part documentary about the Joint Arctic Command. The language of the documentary is Danish. The documentary follows a team of Sirius and Station Specialist aspirants and their journey towards Greenland and employment in the Joint Arctic. Moreover, the documentary includes footage from SAR operations - including e.g. the effort in Nuugaatsiaq in 2017.
Tasks and responsibilities
The Joint Arctic Command is responsible for a wide array of tasks in the Arctic. Some of the tasks are solved in collaboration with the Greenland Self-Government and the Faroese National Government, as well as the Greenland Police and the Faroe Islands Police.