In the weeks since President Donald Trump first floated the idea of the United States controlling Greenland, Copenhagen has announced a new $2 billion Arctic defense package.

President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that Greenland—an autonomous Danish territory—will eventually become part of the United States. Even as the White House has suggested U.S. control of Greenland is a matter of national security, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen insisted the territory isn’t for sale.

“I don’t really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen because it’s for the protection of the free world,” Trump told reporters just days after returning to the Oval Office.

“I think Greenland we’ll get, because it has to do with freedom of the world,” the president added. “It has nothing to do with the United States other than that we’re the one that can provide the freedom. They can’t.”

Denmark clearly feels otherwise. In the weeks since Trump first floated the idea that he believed the United States should control Greenland, Copenhagen has announced a new $2 billion Arctic defense package that calls for new naval vessels and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to protect the territory.

Increased Danish Defense Spending

The NATO member had seen more than a decade of deep cuts to its defense spending, and according to data from the World Bank Group, in 2015 Copenhagen was spending only 1.1 percent of its GDP on military hardware. That was down from a high of three percent in 1963 at the height of the Cold War—but still just half what it had been in 1990 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

In 2021, before Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Danish defense spending was still at just 1.3 percent. However, by 2023, Denmark reached the two-percent benchmark that NATO had called for after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

According to a report from Breaking Defense, as part of a “new Arctic and North Atlantic security agreement,” the Danish government has committed to spending 14.6 billion kroner ($2.04 billion) on the defense of Greenland, the world’s largest island. Though it received self-rule after a 2009 referendum, its defense and foreign policy are still maintained by Copenhagen—and it does look like the Danish military will take that obligation seriously.

“We must face the fact that there are serious challenges regarding security and defence in the Arctic and North Atlantic. For this reason, we must strengthen our presence in the region. That is the objective of this agreement, which paves the way for further initiatives already this year,” Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement last week.

Arctic Warships and More

Central to the increased defense spending are plans for the Royal Danish Navy to replace its aging Thetis-class patrol ships with three new vessels designed to operate in harsh Arctic conditions. The Multi-Role Patrol Vessels (MRPVs) will be capable of operating in the cold and icy environments while being able to carry a helicopter and launch and recover drones.

“The MRPV 90 design features a displacement of about 1,720 tonnes, a length of about 90 m, and a beam of approximately 18 m. Its armament may include surface-to-surface missiles, a vertical launch system (VLS), and a 76 mm main gun, among other capabilities,” international military analyst firm Janes reported.

The Danish Ministry of Defence said the new vessels could allow “tasks around Greenland” to “be carried out more effectively and with greater flexibility,” while a second pair of UAS will be charged with conducting “surveillance over large areas at great distances and provid[ing] detailed surveillance.”

In addition to the four drones, satellites will be employed to monitor the island for security threats, Poulsen added.

The White House has suggested that Greenland required greater protection and that Denmark wasn’t up to the task. But it appears Copenhagen will do everything possible to ensure it is ready to defend the island territory. 

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

Image: Wikimedia Commons.