U.S., European nations send troops to Greenland. Is a takeover coming?
As President Donald Trump unleashes fresh threats of a U.S. takeover of Greenland, both the United States and several European nations have sent troops to the Arctic island in recent days, stirring speculation about whether a military skirmish between historic allies is on the horizon.
The U.S. military announced on Jan. 19 that aircraft would soon arrive at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, while stressing that it is part of a “long-planned” exercise.
The number of European troops arriving for a planning and training mission are only in the double digits. They come as Trump has renewed his vows to acquire Greenland, which he insists the U.S. needs for national security. In leaked texts, Trump told Norway’s prime minister that he needs “complete and total control of Greenland,” and in a volley of trolling Truth Social posts on Jan. 20, he reiterated his claims to the island.
Trump has threatened tariffs on eight NATO countries including Britain and France in retaliation for their refusal to go along with his designs on Greenland, and European officials are preparing to hit back at the U.S. with their own set of heavy tariffs.
US sends troops to Greenland for ‘long-planned’ exercise
The Jan. 19 U.S. military aircraft landing announcement said it would build on the “enduring defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark.”
The operation has been “coordinated” with Denmark, which Greenland belongs to, and the “Government of Greenland is also informed of planned activities,” according to the statement, posted to the official X account of North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Meanwhile, 1,500 troops with the 11th Airborne Division have been placed on standby to deploy to Minnesota, a defense official said, where the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement raids and officers’ aggressive tactics have stirred protests. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose sensitive information.
Those troops haven’t yet received orders to deploy, the official said, and a sudden deployment to Greenland wouldn’t mesh with the training troops would receive in preparation for Minnesota, which would include de-escalation and civil disturbance training.
But their units’ location and training is notable – the 11th Airborne Division is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in chilly Anchorage, Alaska, and trains specifically for arctic warfare.
The 11th Airborne Division adopted the nickname the “Arctic angels” in 2022, as the Army put it at the helm of a new Arctic strategy. The unit’s soldiers train to operate in frigid conditions, like driving special cold weather vehicles and extricating themselves from icy waters.
European nations deploy troops to Greenland
European troops have also touched down on Greenland in recent days amid Trump’s renewed threats to acquire the island. A number of European NATO countries at Denmark’s request have sent small numbers of military personnel to Greenland as part of planning, training and reconnaissance missions.
There have been limited temporary deployments amounting to a few dozen troops and security officers from Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, according to official statements from the defense ministries of these countries.
The deployments are part of Denmark-led joint exercises called Operation Arctic Endurance, which is focused on addressing Russian and Chinese security threats in the Arctic, though the deployments may take on added symbolic significance given that Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out using the U.S. military to “get” Greenland.
It was not immediately clear how long the deployments would last. The 13 military personnel Germany sent to Greenland were only due to be in the territory for two days, from Jan. 15-17.
Denmark’s Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has said the point of the deployments is to explore the idea of having a European military presence on the island “in rotation,” with Denmark’s allies regularly taking part in exercises and training activities.
The United Kingdom and the Netherlands sent a single security officer each. Norway and Finland sent two members their militaries to Greenland. Sweden sent three. France sent the largest contingent: 15.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in a recent statement that the Operation Arctic Endurance exercise was intended to “demonstrate the Europeans’ full and complete ability to ensure their own security, and Arctic security is inseparable from Europe’s security.”
Poulsen, Denmark’s top defense official, said the exercises would “explore” how an increased presence and exercise activity in the Arctic “can be implemented in practice.”