Denmark reportedly made contingency plans to destroy key airport runways in Greenland earlier this year amid fears that the United States, under President Donald Trump, could attempt to seize the Arctic territory.
According to Denmark’s public broadcaster DR, Danish troops deployed to Greenland in January were equipped with explosives and instructed to target critical infrastructure, including runways in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, to prevent US military aircraft from landing in the event of an invasion. Medical preparations were also made, with blood supplies transported to the island to treat potential casualties if fighting broke out.
The report, which cited multiple sources within the Danish government, military, and European allies, was later corroborated by European officials who spoke to the Financial Times. Denmark’s defence ministry declined to comment publicly, while a senior military official acknowledged that knowledge of the operation was restricted to a small group due to its sensitive nature.
Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, has become a major point of tension between Washington and its European allies. President Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring the island, citing its strategic importance, though both Denmark and Greenland’s leadership have firmly rejected any such proposal.
The situation escalated in early January when elite US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a lightning operation in the capital Caracas, which heightened concerns among European governments about potential American assertiveness abroad. Danish officials reportedly began considering worst-case scenarios, including the possibility of a direct military move on Greenland.
In response, Copenhagen sought political and military backing from key European partners, including France and Germany, as well as Nordic allies. A multinational force comprising Danish, French, German, Norwegian, and Swedish troops was subsequently deployed to Greenland under the guise of joint exercises known as Operation Arctic Endurance.
The deployment included elite troops trained for Arctic warfare, as well as air and naval assets positioned in the North Atlantic. While officially described as routine exercises, sources indicated the true objective was to deter any unilateral US action and ensure that any attempt to seize the island would come at significant cost.
A Danish defence source noted that the strategy was not necessarily to repel a full-scale US assault, but to raise the stakes sufficiently to discourage it. “The US would have to carry out a hostile act to get Greenland,” the source said, acknowledging the imbalance in military power.
Tensions appeared to ease later in January when President Trump, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, stated that he did not intend to use force to take Greenland. He has since called for negotiations aimed at resolving the dispute.
Despite the de-escalation, the episode underscores the depth of divisions within NATO over Greenland’s future and highlights the island’s growing geopolitical importance in the Arctic region.
Melissa Enoch
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