COPENHAGEN — Denmark and several allied countries said Wednesday they will increase their military presence in and around Greenland through expanded exercises, as tensions rise with Washington over the Arctic island’s sovereignty.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the buildup is intended to strengthen security in the Arctic and demonstrate allied readiness to operate in the region. “Security in the Arctic is of crucial importance to the Kingdom and our Arctic allies,” Poulsen said, adding that Denmark and its partners will explore how an expanded presence can be implemented in the coming weeks.
Denmark’s defense ministry said additional Danish aircraft, naval assets and troops are being deployed immediately as part of expanded training activities. The exercises will include hosting allied forces, operating fighter jets and conducting maritime security missions.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Swedish officers have arrived in Greenland to help prepare the next phase of Denmark’s Operation Arctic Endurance exercise, following a request from Copenhagen. Officials said forces from the Netherlands, Canada, Germany and France are also participating.
Germany’s defense ministry said it will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 soldiers beginning Thursday for exercises running through Saturday, aimed at assessing potential military contributions to support Denmark’s security role in the region.
The deployments remain intergovernmental and have not been formally approved by NATO, according to officials familiar with the matter. A person briefed on the plans said the effort is meant to demonstrate Denmark and its allies’ ability to operate under Arctic conditions and reinforce the alliance’s presence in the region.
The announcement came as U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Wednesday in Washington with Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers, following days of escalating tensions over President Donald Trump’s renewed push for U.S. control of Greenland.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump said in a Truth Social post that the United States “needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security,” calling the territory vital to his proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system. He also asserted that U.S. control of Greenland would strengthen NATO, dismissing warnings from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that such a move would fracture the alliance.
Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly rejected any transfer of sovereignty, emphasizing that Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and that its future must be decided by its people.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said Tuesday that the territory would stand with Denmark. “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” he said.
Trump responded by dismissing Nielsen’s remarks, saying, “That’s their problem. I disagree with him.”
