Denmark and France Join Forces to Handle "Dark Targets" in Greenland

By the Danish Defence Command

The French Navy vessel Garonne sails up alongside an unidentified foreign trawler—a so-called “dark target”—engaged in illegal fishing near the west coast of Greenland. Shortly after, French soldiers board the trawler and discover classified military information and military communication equipment onboard.

This scenario played out on Thursday as part of an operational training exercise between the French and Danish navies, within the framework of the Canadian Operation Nanook Tuugaalik 2025. In the exercise, Danish vessel Lauge Koch swapped its usual role as an inspection ship in Greenland for that of a “dark target”—a foreign trawler spotted near the West Greenland coast engaged in illegal fishing.

Arctic Command Detects "Dark Targets"

Just as would happen in real life, the exercise’s “dark target” was identified by Arctic Command’s Joint Operations Center (JOC), which spotted a mysterious object via satellite imagery. The on-duty officers then dispatched the French ship Garonne to investigate and escort the vessel to Nuuk harbour for further examination.

Although the scenario was fictional, cooperation with French units is highly relevant for Arctic Command.

“We operate in a multinational operational environment, where many political, military, and non-state civil actors work closely together. The more often we conduct realistic training and live operations with our partners, the stronger we all become in facing current and future challenges,”
explains Torben Rønne, head of the Joint Operations Center at Arctic Command.

The inspection vessel Lauge Koch acts as a "dark target" during a joint Arctic exercise. Photo: French Armed Forces

France Prioritizes Arctic Missions

For the French operations officer aboard FS Garonne, training to handle various Arctic challenges also makes perfect sense.

“In the North Atlantic area, France deploys ships almost permanently, thus ensuring the permanence of France's defensive posture and that of its allies in this region, which is the subject of intense strategic competition,” explains Operations Officer Victor Meunier, who participated in the exercise on the French side.

Last week's exercise is just a small piece of France’s broader effort in the Arctic. This includes adapting France’s military capabilities to the extreme Arctic environment and deepening operational cooperation with strategic partners in the region, including Denmark.

Boarding a Danish ship under Arctic conditions is one example of how joint training enhances operational capabilities.

“This inter-allied work is an excellent opportunity to exchange with our various partners about our methods, which are not always identical, and thus to progress together by taking the best from each, ” explains Operations Officer Meunier.

The recent training with Danish units in Greenlandic waters has provided FS Garonne with concrete lessons.

“The FS Garonne successfully enhanced its expertise in navigating through ice and fjords, enabling it to operate effectively in these less familiar zones for French vessels. These exercises have been immensely beneficial for the French Navy, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue training with our allies in the Arctic in the near future,” says Meunier.

United in Facing Arctic Challenges

Over the past two weeks, the Danish Armed Forces have collaborated with NATO allies during the Canadian-led Operation Nanook Tuugaalik 25. Participating vessels included FS Garonne from France, William Hall from Canada, Berlin from Germany, and Danish inspection ships Lauge Koch and Ejnar Mikkelsen. The units strengthened their cooperation by training in various scenario-based exercises.

In addition to the “dark target” scenario, French and Danish units also conducted a Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise in Greenlandic waters on Friday.

This time, FS Garonne simulated a ship struck by a powerful engine room explosion. The explosion in the scenario caused a major onboard fire and severely injured crew members, requiring evacuation—carried out by Danish inspection ships Lauge Koch and Ejnar Mikkelsen.

During Friday’s exercise, six firefighters from Nuuk’s emergency services were also scheduled to participate, but had to withdraw due to a real-life rescue operation during the night before the drill.