Denmark strengthens Greenland’s defenses after Trump reiterates his desire for American control

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

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

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

Greenland, an independent Danish territory, is home to a large US space facility and is strategically important to the US, which lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe. It has large mineral reserves.

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

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

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

The Minister of Defense did not give a precise figure for the package, but Danish media estimated that it would be around DKK 12-15 billion.

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

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

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

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.

Until now, Denmark has been very slow to expand its military capacity in Greenland, they say, but if the country is unable to protect waters around the territory from encroachment by China and Russia, then US demands for greater control are likely to grow.

Army Major Steen Kjærgaard from the Defense Academy suggests that it may have been Trump’s intention to pressure Denmark into such a step.

“It will probably be triggered by Trump’s renewed focus on the need for air and maritime control around Greenland and the internal development in Greenland, where some express a willingness to look towards the United States – a new international airport in Nuuk is just been inaugurated,” he told the BBC.

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

Trump’s original proposal in 2019 that the US acquire Greenland, which is the world’s largest island, led to a similarly sharp rebuke from the leaders there.

At the time, Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen described the idea as “absurd”, leading Trump will cancel a state visit to the country.

He is not the first US president to propose buying Greenland. The idea was first mooted in the 1860s during the presidency of Andrew Johnson.