Denmark is deploying permanent military forces to Greenland. The deployment comes from five NATO allies joining a multinational force, after negotiations with the Trump administration ended in a “disagreement.”
France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom have sent personnel to support Operation Arctic Endurance, a Denmark-led exercise assessing logistics, terrain, and the military contributions necessary for a stronger Arctic presence.
This development comes amid repeated calls by President Donald Trump for U.S. control over Greenland, during which he has not ruled out economic pressure or even military action to achieve this aim.
Meanwhile, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen met on January 14 with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He stated that it is “clear the president has this desire to seize Greenland.”
Rasmussen categorically rejected both military takeover and purchase of the island: “Ideas that disregard the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right to self-determination of the Greenlandic people are completely unacceptable.”
Similarly, Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt was equally direct: “Greenland does not want to be owned, governed, or become part of the United States. We choose the Greenland we know today—as part of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
