Heavily armed and navigating the planet's most unforgiving terrain by dog sled, an elite Danish military unit stands as the solitary guardian of Greenland's vast, frozen wilderness. The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a legendary Royal Danish Navy unit, operates where modern technology fails, enduring months of isolation, hunger, and temperatures that plummet to a lethal -55°C.
The Unlikely Frontline of Arctic Defence
As the Arctic ice recedes, unlocking untapped mineral wealth and new shipping lanes, Greenland has become a strategic prize for global powers. In response to rising tensions, Denmark has pledged a £4.8 billion military investment for the autonomous territory. Yet, in the remote northern reaches where vehicles cannot travel, the Sirius Patrol remains the indispensable frontline. The unit, named after the Dog Star, is the world's only dog sled special forces, conducting reconnaissance across an area the size of Britain and France combined.
Their mission has drawn unlikely criticism from former US President Donald Trump, who mocked Denmark's Arctic defences. "They added one more dog sled. It's true," Trump quipped to reporters. Danish defence experts swiftly dismissed the remarks as dangerously naive. Former rear admiral Torben Orting Jorgensen, head of Denmark's People And Security network, branded the comments "an insult of stupidity," emphasising the patrol's irreplaceable expertise in a hostile environment where traditional forces would falter.
Life on the Ice: Endurance and Survival
Each autumn, six sled teams, each comprising two naval soldiers, embark on patrols lasting up to five months. In a standard 26-month tour, personnel are allowed just one brief return to civilisation. They form an unbreakable bond with their teams of 11-15 Greenland huskies, animals bred for strength and stamina that serve as transport, companions, and early warning systems against polar bears.
The huskies emit a distinctive hissing growl at the approach of a bear, giving soldiers crucial seconds to reach their 10mm Glock pistols or bolt-action M53 rifles. The teams cover an average of 19 miles a day across pack ice, surviving on canned food with no fresh produce for months. Showers are rare, and clothes are changed infrequently in a relentless test of mental and physical fortitude.
Rigorous Training and Historic Roots
Selection for Sirius is among the most demanding in the world, involving extreme physical trials and psychological screening for prolonged solitude. Successful recruits undergo at least eight months of intensive training, learning survival hunting, veterinary care, and even sewing. Patrolman Jesper Olsen recalled a training exercise where he was forced to leap into icy water to simulate a sled accident, then survive alone for five days by hunting and sheltering in a snow cave.
The unit's origins trace back to 1941 and the Second World War, when it was formed as the North-East Greenland Sledge Patrol to counter Nazi German weather stations that aided U-boat operations. Historian Peter Harmsen, author of 'Fury And Ice', notes the Germans called Greenland the "weather kitchen" for Europe. Disbanded after the war, the patrol was reformed in 1950 during the Cold War, evolving into today's Sirius unit.
In an era of drones and satellites, the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol endures as a priceless, battle-proven asset. "You cannot simply study this environment elsewhere," asserts Jorgensen. "Sirius has battle-proven skills. That knowledge is priceless." As the Arctic becomes a new geopolitical flashpoint, these soldiers and their huskies remain the ultimate masters of a lethal domain.
