Denmark dispatched soldiers and explosives to Greenland in January as part of a contingency plan to obliterate key runways if the United States attempted an invasion, the country’s public broadcaster has reported.
The strategy, which focused on landing strips in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, was designed to prevent U.S. military aircraft from landing troops and equipment. Danish blood banks even flew in supplies to treat potential casualties.
The mobilization came amid President Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign to annex Greenland. He has threatened to seize the semiautonomous Danish territory by force, arguing that American ownership is vital for national and international security — a stance that appalls officials in Denmark and Greenland, and which the public in each place also firmly oppose.
In January, however, a potential thaw emerged when Trump claimed that he had “formed the framework of a future deal” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding Greenland’s future. No further details have been released.
A White House official asserted to Military Times on Friday that such an agreement is “being worked on” and will be “amazing for the U.S.A.”
“Greenland is a strategically important location that is critical from the standpoint of national security, and this deal is very important to advancing U.S. national security,” the official added.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is coordinating with Denmark to expand its security assets on the island. A 1951 agreement between the two nations allows American forces to maintain a military presence in Greenland.
“It’s frankly very favorable to our operations or potential operations in Greenland,” Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of the U.S. Northern Command, said in a testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. “We have three areas that we’d like to negotiate with Denmark and Greenland to see if we could expand the defense areas from Pituffik, where we are now, into these other areas, which would help our homeland defense mission.”
Guillot characterized his discussions with the Greenland government as “very productive.”
Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.