Denmark beefs up defense of Greenland after Trump repeats desire for US control

The Danish government has announced a huge increase in defense spending for Greenland, hours after US President-elect Donald Trump repeated his desire to buy the Arctic territory.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the package was a “double-digit billion amount” in krona, or at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn).

He described the timing of the announcement as an “irony of fate.” On Monday, Trump said ownership and control of the massive island was an “absolute necessity” for the United States.

Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory, is home to a large American space facility and is strategically important to the United States as it lies on its shortest route to Europe. It has important reserves of minerals and oil.

Poulsen said the package would allow for the purchase of two new survey boats, two new long-range drones and two additional dog sled teams.

It would also include funding to increase staffing at the Arctic Command in the capital, Nuuk, and an upgrade of one of Greenland’s three main civilian airports to handle supersonic F-35 fighter jets.

“We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence,” he said.

The Defense Minister did not give an exact figure for the package, but Danish media estimated it to be around 12-15 billion crowns.

The announcement came a day after Trump said on his Truth Social social media platform: “For purposes of national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity. “.

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede responded to Trump’s commentssaying “we are not for sale”.

But he added that Greenlanders should remain open to cooperation and trade, especially with their neighbors.

Analysts say the plan has been under discussion for a long time and should not be seen as a direct response to Trump’s comments.

Denmark has so far been slow to expand its military capabilities in Greenland, they say, but if the country is unable to protect the waters around the territory against invasions from China and Russia, then American demands for greater control.

Army Maj. Steen Kjaergaard of the Danish Defense Academy suggests it may have been Trump’s intention to pressure Denmark into taking such a step.

“It is likely to be sparked by Trump’s renewed focus on the need for air and sea control around Greenland and internal developments in Greenland, where some are expressing a willingness to look towards the US – just opened a new international airport in Nuuk,” he told the BBC.

“I think Trump is smart… he gets Denmark to prioritize its military capabilities in the Arctic by raising this voice, without having to take over a very anti-American welfare system,” he said, referring to Greenland’s heavy dependence on Copenhagen subsidies.

Trump’s original suggestion in 2019 that the United States acquire Greenland, which is the world’s largest island, drew a similarly harsh rebuke from leaders there.

At the time, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederickson called the idea “absurd,” prompting Trump will cancel a state trip to the country.

He is not the first American president to suggest buying Greenland. The idea was first mooted during the 1860s under President Andrew Johnson.