Danish broadcaster DR reports that troops flown to Greenland in January were prepared for an extreme worst-case scenario in which they could be ordered to blow up key airport runways, amid fears that United States President, Donald Trump could attempt to invade the Arctic island.
Citing 12 sources in the Danish government, military, and among European allies, DR says blood supplies were also sent to treat possible casualties in the event of fighting.
The Financial Times said two European officials later confirmed parts of the report. The Danish defence ministry told the BBC it “has no comment”.
A senior Danish military official, speaking anonymously, told the BBC that “only a limited number of people would have been aware of the operation for security reasons”.
Both the US and Denmark are NATO members, and Greenland—a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark—has become a point of tension between Washington and European allies.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland during his second presidential term. Greenland’s leadership and Denmark have firmly rejected the idea.
DR said its reporting was based on 12 senior sources in the Danish government and military, as well as allied sources in France and Germany.
According to those sources, Denmark sought political backing from France, Germany, and Nordic countries to show European unity and strengthen joint military activity in Greenland.
The situation reportedly escalated on 3 January after elite US forces carried out a lightning operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.
The following day, Trump told reporters he would “worry about Greenland in about two months” and said it was essential for US national security, adding without evidence: “Right now Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
A senior Danish security source told DR that “when Trump keeps saying he wants to take over Greenland, and then what happened in Venezuela happened, we had to take all scenarios seriously.”
A European official told the Financial Times: “After Venezuela, they [Americans] thought they could walk on water. Let’s take this thing, and this country.”
Soon after, a small multinational force of Danish, French, German, Norwegian and Swedish soldiers was flown to Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, where Greenland’s main airports are located.
At the time, French President Emmanuel Macron said the initial deployment would be reinforced with “land, air, and sea assets”.
DR reports that further deployments included elite Danish troops and French forces trained for cold and mountainous warfare, along with Danish aircraft and a French naval vessel sent to the North Atlantic.
The operation was publicly presented as “Operation Arctic Endurance”, a joint military exercise, but sources told DR its real purpose was preparation for a possible US invasion.
A decision was reportedly taken in Denmark that its forces would fight if the US invaded, and soldiers were also prepared to blow up runways at Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq to prevent US military aircraft from landing.
A Danish defence source told DR, “The cost to the US would have to be raised. The US would have to carry out a hostile act to get Greenland,” while acknowledging that Danish troops would likely not be able to repel a US attack.
On 21 January, Trump, who had earlier refused to rule out the use of force, said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.”
Trump has since said he is seeking “immediate negotiations” to find a compromise and ease tensions.
