India, Jan. 19 -- Few military units anywhere in the world operate in conditions as unforgiving as Greenland's Sirius Dog Sled Patrol. As global attention returns to the Arctic-driven by security concerns, climate change, and renewed US interest in Greenland-this small Danish unit has found itself back in the spotlight, not just for its mission, but also amid a growing political controversy involving a US envoy.

The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol represents one of the most unusual forms of modern military power, a handful of elite soldiers, a team of sled dogs, and thousands of kilometres of frozen wilderness.

Denmark established the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol in 1950 to maintain sovereignty over northeast Greenland, one of the most remote regions ...