Denmark has invested heavily in increasing security in Greenland. But during the winter, six two-man teams, each with a dozen dogs, are responsible for surveillance in the frozen, rugged northern and eastern Greenland.
The Sirius dog sled patrol monitors an area roughly equivalent to the combined area of France and Spain.
"The reason we use dog sleds rather than snowmobiles is that a sled and dogs are durable. We can operate for a very, very long time over enormous distances in extremely isolated environments," says Sebastian Ravn Rasmussen, a former patrol member.
The elite patrols can be away for several months at a time in temperatures that can reach minus 40 degrees.
“Down to the ground”
The patrols cover about 30 kilometers a day. The dogs pull a 500-kilogram sled packed with tents designed to withstand the weather, transporting food, fuel and other necessities between the 50 or so supply points in the area. They are often seven- to ten-day trips apart.
A snowmobile would quickly break down under such extreme conditions, says Sebastian Ravn Rasmussen.
When a snowmobile breaks down - really breaks down - you can't get any further. And we're very, very far from home.
A dog team can break down, but we can repair it. And we can lose a dog, or two or three dogs in a patrol, but we can still continue at a reduced speed.
According to Ravn Rasmussen, everything is so white in winter that helicopters are not viable for surveillance.
You simply have to get down to the ground to be able to see, feel and perceive if there has been something in the area that shouldn't be there.
“The most effective way”
Much of the military work is classified and cannot be revealed to the public, says Ravn Rasmussen.
The patrols are equipped with rifles and handguns that can be used as a last resort against angry polar bears and musk oxen.
We must be able to handle all types of situations that may occur.
It will take the patrol three to four years to cover the entire northern and eastern areas of Greenland. But Ravn Rasmussen says he did not take offense at Trump's taunts.
US presidents will come and go, but the Sirius Patrol will remain. That's because it's the most efficient way to get things done.
