Copenhagen reinforced its limited military presence in Greenland in January after taking US rhetoric about the island seriously, with the contingency move only becoming public in Danish media this week.
Documents revealed by Danish public broadcaster DR show that the Danish Armed Forces issued an operational directive on 13 January 2026 outlining emergency defence measures related to Greenland. The directive reportedly included reinforcing Denmark’s small military presence on the island and preparing contingency options to secure critical infrastructure.
Although the information surfaced in mid-March, the planning and limited troop movement date back to January. Danish officials described the measures as contingency planning carried out amid political tensions surrounding Greenland earlier that month.
The issue gained additional attention after US President Donald Trump publicly mocked Denmark’s military presence on the island during the same period. Trump suggested that Greenland was “basically defended by two dog sleds”, referring to the Danish Sirius Patrol, a long-standing Arctic sovereignty patrol unit operating in northern Greenland using dog sled teams.
The remarks triggered criticism in Denmark, where politicians stressed that Greenland remains under Danish sovereignty and that Copenhagen retains responsibility for the island’s defence.
Denmark’s military footprint in Greenland remains small and primarily focused on surveillance, sovereignty patrols and Arctic monitoring. The island’s most significant strategic installation is the US-operated Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, which hosts missile warning and space surveillance systems critical to US strategic defence.
Despite the presence of the US base on the island, Danish contingency planning reportedly examined measures to deny access to Greenland’s airfields in an extreme scenario. The plans considered options to disable runways in order to prevent aircraft from landing on the island, limiting the ability to rapidly deploy forces by air.
Such a measure would aim to complicate any large-scale troop insertion by air, even if heavy weapons could still be delivered by sea. By restricting access to airfields, Danish planners appear to have focused on preventing rapid airlift operations that could place forces anywhere on the island within hours.
The episode also drew attention because the political tension unfolded between two NATO allies. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, meaning any theoretical US move concerning the island would involve the territory of a fellow NATO member state.
Trump had repeatedly argued that Greenland should come under US control for national security reasons and had refused to rule out military options, triggering unease among NATO allies.
However, later in January Trump announced that he had reached what he described as a “framework understanding” with the NATO Secretary General regarding Greenland. Details of the arrangement were not publicly disclosed.
The tensions also accelerated discussions within NATO about security in the Arctic. The alliance subsequently launched the Arctic Sentry mission aimed at strengthening monitoring and coordination in the region.
Several NATO members, including Denmark and the United States, are participating in the initiative.
The developments highlight how the Arctic is increasingly emerging not only as a zone of climate and energy interest but also as a growing arena of strategic competition.
Author: Özgür Ekşi