Danish soldiers participate in a training exercise in Rockport, Mich., in this undated photo. Denmark will boost its troop presence in Greenland in cooperation with other NATO allies, some of which are contributing military assets, the Danish defense ministry said this week. (Helen Miller/Michigan National Guard)
STUTTGART, Germany — Denmark this week said it will boost its troop presence in Greenland but stopped short of elaborating on whether the move was aimed at deterring potential American aggression on the autonomous Danish island.
“Geopolitical tensions have spread to the Arctic,” the Danish defense ministry said in a statement Wednesday announcing the deployment of more troops to the territory.
The expanded military mission in and around Greenland will be conducted in close cooperation with other NATO allies, some of which are contributing military assets, the ministry said. There was no mention of whether that would include U.S. forces.
The increased Danish military presence will involve aircraft, ships and soldiers, the ministry said. It comes amid a diplomatic feud with the United States over Greenland’s status.
On Wednesday, Danish and Greenlandic officials held talks at the White House in connection with President Donald Trump’s push to take over the island.
Ahead of those discussions with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump doubled down on his demand that Greenland be handed over to the United States.
He also called on NATO to assist in that effort, saying it would strengthen the alliance’s ability to counter Russia and China.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said after the meeting that differences with the Trump administration remain.
“We didn’t manage to change the American position,” Rasmussen told reporters. “It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland. We made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of (Denmark).”
The situation has roiled NATO, with key members such as France and Germany pushing back against the idea of an American takeover.
Some European officials have warned that any attempt to annex the territory would spell the end of the alliance, which was founded to protect each member from an armed invasion.
Later on Wednesday, Trump said he was still making up his mind how to go about controlling Greenland.
“If we don’t go in, Russia’s going to go in and China’s going to go in,” Trump said. “There’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland. But there’s everything we can do. We found that out last week with Venezuela.”
Critics counter that Trump’s position overlooks the fact that the U.S. already has a military presence in Greenland and that security cooperation agreements allow the United States to increase its military presence on the island.
U.S. forces have been a steady presence in Greenland for many decades, dating back to the early days of the Cold War.
Today, about 200 U.S. troops operate in the country, with their main task involving an early-warning missile defense mission.
Danish officials have said they are open to hosting more American troops.
