Several European NATO countries are dispatching small contingents of military personnel to Greenland this week to join Denmark in joint planning and exercises, a coordinated show of allied solidarity after US President Donald Trump again suggested the United States could take control of the Arctic territory — by force if necessary.
Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland’s defence, said it is expanding its military presence “in close cooperation with allies” and will increase training activity in and around the island. The deployments include a 13-person German reconnaissance team, French troops already “on the ground” and to be reinforced with air, sea and land components, as well as liaison or planning officers from Nordic and other allied states, according to public statements and reporting by Reuters and other outlets.
The exercise, referred to by participating governments as Operation Arctic Endurance, is not unprecedented—NATO allies have long rotated forces for cold-weather training—but its timing has amplified its political significance as tensions rise within the US-led alliance.
Trump has argued Greenland is vital to US national security and has repeatedly pressed for US control of the territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In recent remarks, he said the United States was “going to do something on Greenland,” framing the issue as preventing strategic encroachment by Russia or China. Denmark and Greenland insist the island is not for sale and have described the threat of force as reckless.
The latest deployments follow a high-level meeting in Washington between Danish and Greenlandic officials and US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the talks were frank and constructive but that a “fundamental disagreement” remains; the parties agreed to establish a high-level working group to explore a path forward.
Beyond military measures, allies are also moving diplomatically. France plans to open a consulate in Nuuk on February 6, and Canada has announced plans to open a consulate in Nuuk in the coming weeks as part of a broader Arctic posture.
Greenland already hosts the US Pituffik Space Base, a key missile-warning and space surveillance site with roughly 150 US service members permanently stationed there under a longstanding agreement. NATO, a defensive alliance of 32 members, is built on the principle that an attack on one ally is an attack on all—making Washington’s rhetoric toward Danish territory exceptionally destabilising for the bloc.
