Arctic Security and Military Basing

Denmark secretly prepared a contingency plan in January 2026 to demolish runways in Greenland with explosives and deployed troops and blood supplies to the island amid fears President Donald Trump might try to seize control of the territory, according to Danish public broadcaster DR. The plan, described in a Danish military operations order dated January 13 and based on a dozen senior Danish and allied sources, called for flying in explosives to keep U.S. aircraft from landing if Washington attempted a forcible move after Trump repeatedly said the U.S. should control Greenland for national security reasons. Copenhagen and Nuuk publicly rejected Trump’s demands to acquire Greenland, even as Denmark and several European allies covered their troop deployment under a NATO exercise called Arctic Endurance that sources say was operational rather than purely a drill. While Trump announced a vague 'framework' on Greenland with NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte on January 21 and insisted in Davos he did not want to use force, the NORTHCOM commander told Congress on March 17 the U.S. is now working with Denmark to expand access under the 1951 treaty, underscoring how volatile Arctic basing politics have become. The revelations highlight the level of distrust inside a core NATO ally about Trump’s intentions and raise questions about how far U.S. pressure on Greenland has already pushed Danish military planners to consider extreme steps against a nominal partner.