Sweden will patrol around Iceland and Greenland with Gripen fighter jets as part of NATO's Arctic Sentry mission, it said on Thursday.
NATO said on Wednesday it had launched the mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic, part of an effort to defuse severe tensions within the alliance prompted by US President Donald Trump's push for the US to acquire Greenland.
"This strengthens deterrence, protects our common interests, and contributes to stability in a region that is crucial for Europe and transatlantic cooperation," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement.
"Sweden will initially contribute to Arctic Sentry with JAS 39 Gripen aircraft in the area around Iceland and Greenland," he said.
officials said the mission would likely focus on using NATO resources in the region more effectively rather than adding large amounts of new forces.
The mission was "part of the Alliance's efforts to further enhance our deterrence and defense in the region, particularly in light of Russia's military activity and China's growing interest in the High North," a NATO official told Reuters in an email.
Planning in 'final stages'
NATO said last week it had begun planning for the mission, following talks in Davos between Trump and NATO boss Mark Rutte that eased severe strains over Trump's ambition to acquire Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
Officials said no final decision had been taken and military planners were still working on options.
But NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, said on Monday that planning was in the "final stages."
Speaking on a visit to Luxembourg, Grynkewich said he would receive a briefing on planning for the mission from NATO's Joint Force Command in Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday.
"If the brief goes well ... we might have something that we can announce later this week on how we're moving forward on that," he told reporters.