Even before moving into the White House, Trump has referred to the “absolute need” to “own and control” Greenland. In addition to the three American research bases, which operated as military bases during World War II and the Cold War, the US covets large reserves of oil, gold, copper, rare earths, rubies and sapphires. The thaw is making large quantities of minerals such as lithium, hafnium or tantalum accessible and is opening new navigation routes that are crucial to confront the commercial hegemony of China, which has already tried without success to participate in the construction of two new airports. on the island.
Denmark has reacted immediately to Trump’s statements. Troels Lund PoulsenDanish Minister of Defense, has announced a new budget allocation of 1.3 billion euros for the Defense of the island. In addition to two new Thetis-class inspection vessels and two new long-range unmanned aircraft, two additional teams of sled dogs have been sent to Greenland in recent hours and the Danish army is preparing to reinforce its Command personnel. from Greenland.
The Danish Sirius Dog Sled Patrol has been deployed in Greenland since World War II and is an elite special forces unit of the Royal Danish Navy. Teams patrol the frozen wilderness for months at a time, armed with automatic rifles and pistols, not to protect themselves from potential invaders, but mostly to protect themselves from polar bears and musk oxen.
Now it will be reinforced with nine troops and equipment, while improvements are being made to the island’s airports, such as Kangerlussuaq, so that they can accommodate the F-35 combat aircraft. “The fact that a fighter aircraft like the F-35 can operate, that is, take off and land from Greenland will provide additional opportunities, both in terms of monitoring and counterattack,” he explained. Mads KorsagerDefense expert at Danmarks Radio.
Poulsen admits that Denmark, as a NATO member, is prepared to “work with the United States” under the 1951 Defense Agreement, which gives Washington exclusive jurisdiction over defense areas in Greenland and the ability to increase surveillance of Arctic waters, a central part of NATO’s Arctic strategy.
In remote northwest Greenland lies Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, operated by the United States Space Force, also hosting personnel from Denmark, Canada, Greenland; and serves as a space surveillance center. In addition, an early warning radar system is installed there, which monitors the launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from Russia, the Middle East, North Korea and China crossing the Arctic.
Now, for the first time, the Danish army is providing military training to young Greenlanders, with marksmanship practice and rescue techniques for people from freezing sea water, as well as basic firefighting skills and miles of marching across the landscape. arctic. The Government justifies this formation as an “investment in the resilience of Greenlandic society”, in a covert public relations operation: the former colony could, in theory, leave the Danish imperial community and the Danish kingdom would lose 98% of its surface and its access to the Arctic. From the Folketing, the spokesman for the Conservative People’s Party, Rasmus Jarlovhas described it as “unacceptable that an allied country begins to dream of taking control of Danish territory.”
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