According to the German "Spiegel" weekly website on April 14, the Danish Navy "Triton" frigate traveled alone in the cold waters around Greenland, and looked particularly small among the huge icebergs. The frigate has patrolled the giant island since 1990. The monitoring missions of the entire Greenland waters are only undertaken by the frigate "Triton" and the other four Danish Navy ships.

  After U.S. President Trump proposed to buy or even annex Greenland, Denmark began to strengthen its arms, planning to invest 2 billion euros to strengthen defense in the region.

  Other European countries are also improving their maritime military capabilities. For example, Germany recently purchased Boeing's P-8 "Sea God" maritime patrol aircraft to early warning of enemy submarines.

  European waters are considered underprotected due to years of reductions in military spending. Even with the assistance of Washington, it is still difficult to monitor the vast North Atlantic.

  Once a war breaks out, this sea area will be an important supply line for NATO, such as delivering US aid to Europe. However, Russian submarines can enter the Atlantic Ocean from multiple directions such as the Arctic, the Baltic and the Mediterranean.

  One strategy the Kremlin may adopt is to weaken the economies of European countries through maritime blockades in the event of a direct military confrontation with NATO.

  During the Ukrainian War, the Russians had already tried their best: they once blocked the Black Sea, limiting Ukraine's export capabilities. But the Russian army also paid a heavy price. The most eye-catching incident occurred in April 2022, when Ukrainian missiles sank the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship cruiser "Moscow". It was not until the two sides reached a food agreement that Ukrainian wheat exports were restored.

  For Russia, direct confrontation with European countries on the high seas has almost no chance of winning. Alessio Patarano, a naval expert at King's College, University of London, pointed out: "Comparing the naval combat power of NATO European countries and Russia, the best situation is 8 to 1, and the worst is 5 to 1."

  According to data from the International Institute of Strategic Research, European countries have also ordered about 60 ships and 40 submarines, which are comparable to the current Russian Navy's forces.

  Despite Europe's favorable numbers, Patarano said: "We still have gaps in advanced electronic warfare, satellite reconnaissance and marine surveillance and currently rely on US support." But if Europe can fund its arms plans, it will be strong enough to deter Russia, or at least conduct effective military defense.

  The additional purchase of the P-8 "Sea God" maritime patrol aircraft is just the beginning of making up for the gap in capabilities. In the future, underwater and aerial drones will form a European waters surveillance network to early warning of enemy submarines. Traditional naval forces such as destroyers and frigates will cooperate with them.

  However, in this field, Europe still has shortcomings. Currently, Europe only has three large aircraft carriers - one in France and two in the UK, and one of them is in poor condition. Therefore, without the support of the United States, Europe's ability to launch a counterattack against Russia is limited.

  In terms of anti-submarine warfare, Europe has an advantage.

  "Although Russian submarines have superior performance, NATO is also practicing countermeasures regularly," Patarano said. Tracking and attacking submarines may be the most complex military technical challenge. (Compiled/Jiao Yu)

[Editor in charge: Wang Jinzhi]