Large US military shipment arrives in Denmark to boost NATO east flank

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Jan 10:14
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The Danish Army says that the 600 pieces of military gear and vehicles are part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

Screenshot of the video of the unloading of US military vehicles in Denmark's Aarhus commercial port, Jan. 16, 2023

A US ship carrying around 600 pieces of military equipment has docked in Denmark as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which aims to strengthen NATO's eastern flank and increase the coalition's military readiness, the Danish Army said on Monday.

The transport ship arrived at Denmark's largest commercial port in Aarhus city and included armored military vehicles destined to be taken to Poland.

"We have never experienced receiving a military ship before. This is the first time that we have been chosen as a transit port for the US military. That's why today is something special," Daniel Moller Jensen, the port's press spokesperson, told the media.

Blandt det amerikanske materiel, der i dag ankommer til Aarhus Havn, er hjulkøretøjer, bæltekøretøjer og containere, som sendes videre på lastbiler og østpå til #AtlanticResolve – USA’s styrkede tilstedeværelse i Europa. #dkforsvar #værdatkæmpefor #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/Baz5Q1pV6M
— Forsvaret (@forsvaretdk) January 16, 2023

"As Denmark's largest commercial port, we have good conditions and infrastructure to handle such large operations," he said.

The city's mayor, who was overviewing the unloading of the military gear, considered it his country's "obligation to take responsibility for its own safety," describing it a "necessary contribution".

Operation Atlantic Resolve was launched in 2014 and refers to military activities in response to increased tensions with Russia.

Last September, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is building its presence in the eastern flank, putting hundreds of thousands of troops on high readiness.

"We are significantly enhancing our presence in the east of the alliance, putting hundreds of thousands of troops on high readiness, supported with significant air and naval forces," Stoltenberg told reporters then.

The US build-up in eastern Europe has exponentially increased in the past year as western countries claim they are strengthening their deterrence posture facing Russia's military.

in 2022, 300 armored vehicles and other military hardware belonging to the US military arrived in the Danish Port of Esbjerg and were then transported to Poland to be allegedly used by US troops in military exercises.

Earlier this month, the United States transported more than 1,200 military vehicles and gear to the Danish port of Vlissingen, including M1 Abrams battle tanks and Bradley armored fighting vehicles, among other military vehicles.

Kiev has long pushed for heavier weaponry, including tanks, despite warnings that Western weapons being supplied to Ukraine, including Javelin anti-tank systems, are sold on the black market, most notably in Africa.

On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Western countries are likely to provide more heavy weaponry to Ukraine in the near future.

The NATO chief claimed that military assistance to Ukraine is the quickest path to peace, and he lauded the US and German choices to arm Ukrainian troops with armored personnel carriers, as well as France's preparedness to deliver light combat tanks to Ukraine.

The NATO Secretary-General further stated that during the upcoming allies conference on January 20 at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany, further decisions about Western weaponry shipments to Kiev will have to be made.