Danish Home Guard helps Greenland farmers round up sheep
Friday 18th September 2026 on 11:15 in
Denmark
Denmark’s Home Guard has helped local sheep farmers gather their animals from the mountains near Narsarsuaq, a settlement in southern Greenland, DR reports.
The Home Guard travelled to Greenland to take part in the NATO exercise Arctic Shield, but also accepted the unusual task, dubbed “Mission Bleat”, when the seasonal sheep roundup began.
“It is of course an atypical task, but we should help where we can,” said Gunner Arpe Nielsen, major general and head of the Home Guard. He said the effort also helped create a sense of security in the local community.
“A lot of people probably wonder what on earth the Danish military is doing running around catching sheep,” Nielsen said. “But it is a real task. We are helping the locals, and our soldiers have approached it with great motivation.”
Local sheep farmer Asiarpa Frederiksen said the farmers welcomed the assistance.
“We are very happy for the help, because normally there are not very many of us for this task,” she said. “We are glad that the soldiers are helping to gather the sheep, and they are also experiencing something new and learning a little about southern Greenland.”
The task was also a change of pace for a soldier identified only by his first name, Ulrik.
“It is a completely different type of task from what we normally do, and a break from everyday life, which consists of planning, coordination and execution,” he said. “It is a good experience to come out here, get some fresh air and end up completely soaked.”
Ulrik said the local farmers appeared to appreciate the help and might even have been overwhelmed by the number of soldiers involved.
Soldiers from Canada, Sweden and Norway also helped with the sheep roundup.
During Arctic Shield, more than 400 soldiers from 11 countries are training in different types of land-based military operations in Greenland’s harsh Arctic environment. The exercise includes French infantry units, Belgian drone units and Finnish special operations forces and runs from 7 to 18 September.