Lets face it when goevernments pick a service cart. it isn't because it is the best choice. Generally it is because it is the best deal. At least they didn't pick the 9mm!!!
If you are referring to the Sirius Patrol, the Glock 20 in 10mm was chosen by the non-coms and officers as their weapon of choice for polar bear defense. They chose the modified 1917 Enfield for musk oxen. FYI: These guys sometimes see polar bears daily!
From an American Rifleman article:
"Loaded For Bear—And Musk Ox: 10 mm Glocks Of The Danish Sirius Dog Sled Patrol
If you were expecting to encounter the largest land carnivore in the world, what would your sidearm of choice be? For members of Denmark's Sirius Dog Sled Patrol the answer is the 10 mm Glock 20. Greenland is a country within the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Danish military is responsible for providing for its defense. The Sirius Patrol (their name in Danish is "Slædepatruljen Sirius") is a unit of the Danish navy that operates in the uninhabited area of northeast Greenland. Originating from a group of volunteers formed during World War II that fought off German incursions into Greenland, the modern Sirius Patrol asserts Danish sovereignty along nearly 9,000 miles of coastline.
Arctic Greenland is one of the most physically demanding environments in the world, with 24-hour darkness and temperatures that reach 50° F below zero in the winter. Those dangers also include the native wildlife. The two largest animals in Greenland, the musk ox and the polar bear, are often encountered by the Sirius patrollers. The polar bear is an alpha predator whose adult males can reach a length of 10 ft. and weigh up to 1,500 lbs. The musk ox is about half the weight of an American bison, but its head is capped with a pair of Cape buffalo-like horns.
The Glock 20 was adopted by the Sirius Patrol around 2000 as a replacement for the 9 mm Luger m/49, the Danish designation for the country's SIG P210 service pistol, after it experienced problems using the 9 mm Luger cartridge against large mammals. Although 10 mm Auto is not a common chambering in Europe, ammunition is sourced from Serbian manufacturer Prvi Partizan. Issued ammunition features a jacketed flat-point bullet.
The Glock 20 is paired with another gun unique for a 21st century elite military force. The rifle the Sirius Patrol carries is the century-old Pattern 1917 Enfield, known in Danish service as the Gevær M/53 (17), in .30-'06 Sprg. These rifles, along with M1 Garands, were sent to Denmark as part of NATO Cold War armament cooperation. The rugged bolt-action guarantees function in Artic conditions, and the .30-'06 Sprg. cartridge is more powerful than the 5.56x45 mm NATO Karabin M/96 (a version of the Canadian C8 M16 variant) that Danish forces currently issue. Sirius members carry their Glock 20s constantly, in a Safariland Universal Military holster and attached to the belt by lanyard. It is always on their side when operating at their Daneborg headquarters and is the backup to their Enfield rifles while on patrol. As an arm of last resort, the 10 mm Glock has proved successful in several close-range encounters with both polar bear and musk ox, most involving multiple rounds fired rapidly at extremely close range.
New Sirius recruits are given 28 hours of basic pistol training, followed by CQB and night-shooting courses in which they will fire a total of 3,000 to 4,000 rounds. The only complaint the Sirius patrol has with its Glock pistols is adapting to its trigger after using the "match-grade" single-action P210.
Since the adoption of the Glock, the Danish military has considered alternatives, including .357 Mag. and .44 Mag. revolvers that were tested by firing them into ballistic gelatin covered in polar bear hide. The result was that the capacity and shootability of the 10 mm Glock won out over the revolvers—the Danes have discovered what many in the civilian world also know. For magnum performance from a service-size, semi-automatic handgun, the 10 mm is hard to beat."
