Denmark bolstering Greenland defense after Trump ownership comments
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Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen in February. Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Denmark is increasing defense spending in Greenland, said a Danish official Tuesday who called the announcement's timing with President-elect Trump's suggestion that the U.S. should own the territory an "irony of fate."
The big picture: Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told the outlet Jyllands-Posten on Tuesday of plans to spend a "double-digit billion amount" in krone, equivalent to at least $1.5 billion, on the self-ruled territory that's part of its kingdom to ensure a "stronger presence" in the Arctic.
- Trump said on Sunday the "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" for the U.S., which has a strategically important base on the northwest coast of the territory.
- His remarks that built on comments he made during his first term about buying Greenland prompted the territory's prime minister to say on Monday that it is "not for sale and will never be for sale."
State of play: Poulsen told Jyllands-Posten the Danish government's plan for Greenland included long-range drones, more inspection ships and sled patrols in the territory and an upgrade to Kangerlussuaq Airport so it can accommodate F-35 fighter jets.
- He said that Denmark had "not invested enough" for many years in the Arctic — where countries including China and Russia have been racing for resources in the region that's feeling the effects of climate change.
- Russia has already sought to claim territory up to Greenland's Exclusive Economic Zone.
Between the lines: The Danish Defense Academy's Army Maj. Steen Kjaergaard told the BBC Tuesday that Trump may have been pressing Denmark's government to act on this threat.
- "It is likely to be sparked by the renewed Trump focus on the need for air and maritime control around Greenland and the internal developments in Greenland where some are voicing a will to look towards the U.S. — a new international airport in Nuuk was just inaugurated," Kjaergaard said.
- "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, in reference to Greenland's reliance on money from Copenhagen.
Zoom in: Greenland's foreign, security and defense policy Arctic strategy for 2024-2033 outlines its goal for improved relations with the U.S. to increase the possibilities for more cooperation, with direct trade and transportation routes supporting this development — particularly with fellow Inuit in Alaska.
- It notes that a 1951 defense agreement means that the U.S. is, in effect, "the military defender in the event of a possible military conflict."
- The United States' Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) has a missile in the territory that's in North America but which has close ties to Europe, which has early warning radar that can detect Russian missiles.
- The base once sought to secretly store a nuclear reactor under an Arctic ice sheet called Camp Century, also known as the "city under the ice," during the Cold War era in a drive called Project Iceworm.
- Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.
Go deeper: Trump dreams of empire expansion
Editor's note: This article has been updated with more context.
Andrew Freedman contributed reporting.
