Denmark Planned to Destroy Greenland Runways to Prevent US Invasion

In early January 2026, Danish soldiers boarded military transports bound for Greenland. They carried standard Arctic warfare equipment—but also something far more unusual: explosives to demolish airstrips, and blood supplies from Danish blood banks to treat the wounded. Their mission, disguised as a NATO exercise, was to prepare for the unthinkable: armed resistance against the United States of America, their closest military ally [1][2].

On March 19, 2026, Danish public broadcaster DR published an investigation based on interviews with 12 high-level sources across Denmark's government, military, and intelligence agencies—as well as allied sources in France and Germany—revealing that Copenhagen had drawn up contingency plans to sabotage Greenland's critical airport infrastructure rather than allow American forces to seize the island [3][4].

The revelation sent shockwaves through NATO and laid bare the depth of the crisis provoked by President Donald Trump's persistent threats to acquire Greenland "the hard way."

The Operations Order: January 13, 2026

According to DR's reporting, a Danish military operations order dated January 13, 2026, outlined the sabotage plan in detail [3][5]. The order identified two primary targets: the runways at Nuuk, Greenland's capital, and Kangerlussuaq, the island's main international air hub and former US air base. Both facilities serve as Greenland's primary connections to the outside world—Kangerlussuaq's 2,810-meter runway is the longest on the island and the only one capable of handling wide-body aircraft [2][4].

Destroying these two runways would effectively sever Greenland's air links to the outside world. Greenland has no road network connecting its settlements; virtually all inter-town and international travel depends on air transport. The demolition plan would have eliminated the capacity for large military transport aircraft to land, denying an invading force its most practical means of rapid troop deployment [6].

"When Trump says all the time that he wants to buy Greenland … we had to take all possible scenarios seriously," an unnamed Danish military official told DR [3].

The plan went beyond runway demolition. DR reported that Danish defense officials, in the wake of Trump's military intervention in Venezuela, regarded the situation as "the greatest danger" since the 1940 German occupation of Denmark—a comparison that speaks volumes about how Copenhagen assessed the threat [7].

Operation Arctic Endurance: Exercise or War Preparation?

The troops and explosives arrived in Greenland under the cover of Operation Arctic Endurance, officially described as a Danish-led NATO exercise [8]. On January 19, 2026, Danish Major General Søren Andersen confirmed that approximately 100 additional Danish soldiers had deployed to Nuuk, with similar numbers arriving in Kangerlussuaq [8].

But according to DR's sources, the operation was far more than a training exercise—it was "operational" [3]. The soldiers arrived equipped not only with standard military gear but also with the explosives needed to execute the runway demolition plan, as well as medical supplies including blood supplies from Danish blood banks, prepared to treat soldiers wounded in actual combat [1][2].

The deployment was multinational. France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Iceland, Belgium, and the United Kingdom all embedded personnel alongside Danish forces [8][9]. Germany deployed a 13-person "reconnaissance team" to Nuuk. Sweden sent army officers and, in February, a group of Air Force Rangers for field exercises. The UK dispatched a military officer "at Denmark's request." The French frigate Bretagne joined naval operations near Iceland [8].

This multinational composition was deliberate. The strategy, described by multiple sources, was to create a "tripwire" force—ensuring that any American military action against Greenland would require attacking not just Danish troops, but soldiers from multiple European NATO members, dramatically raising the political cost of intervention [1][10].

Source: GDELT Project

Data as of Mar 20, 2026CSV

The Trigger: Trump's Escalating Threats

The sabotage plan did not emerge in a vacuum. It was the culmination of an escalating crisis that began when Trump first floated acquiring Greenland during his first term in August 2019. After returning to office, Trump dramatically intensified his rhetoric [11][12].

In early January 2026, the White House stated that "all options" were on the table for Greenland, including military force [13]. Trump publicly refused to rule out using the US military to seize the territory. He threatened a 25% import tariff on European Union goods unless Denmark ceded Greenland, and specifically announced tariffs against countries participating in Operation Arctic Endurance—targeting Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland [11][12].

The situation reached fever pitch after Trump's military action in Venezuela. Danish officials told DR that the Venezuela intervention crystallized their fears: if the US president was willing to use force against one country, why not another? [7]

On January 21, 2026, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump reversed course, pledging not to use force or tariffs to annex Greenland. Reuters reported the reversal followed pressure from his own aides opposing an invasion [11]. But by then, Denmark had already deployed its forces and prepared its contingency plans.

Legal and Sovereign Questions

The revelation raises profound legal questions—particularly regarding Greenland's own sovereignty. Under the 2009 Self-Government Act, Greenland gained extensive autonomy over domestic affairs, but Denmark explicitly retained authority over defense and security policy [14][15]. This means Copenhagen has the legal right to deploy military forces and make defense decisions regarding Greenland without formal consent from the Greenlandic government.

However, planning to demolish civilian infrastructure that Greenlandic communities depend on for survival raises ethical questions that transcend legal technicalities. Greenland's 56,000 residents rely almost entirely on air transport between settlements. Destroying the runways at Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq would not merely deny access to an invading force—it would isolate Greenlandic communities from each other and from essential supply chains [6].

Notably, DR's reporting contains no statements from Greenlandic officials about their knowledge of or consent to the demolition plans [2][4]. This silence is itself significant. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has been vocal in rejecting Trump's acquisition demands, but whether he was briefed on plans to destroy his capital's runway remains unclear.

The question of whether Greenlandic indigenous leaders were consulted about having their infrastructure designated for demolition in a dispute between two external powers cuts to the heart of the island's ongoing independence debate.

A NATO Alliance Turned Inside Out

Perhaps the most extraordinary dimension of this story is what it reveals about NATO's internal cohesion. The North Atlantic Treaty's Article 5—the principle that an attack on one member is an attack on all—is the bedrock of the Western alliance. Denmark planning to resist a potential US military operation, while simultaneously relying on other NATO members to form a tripwire force against the alliance's dominant member, represents an unprecedented inversion of the treaty's purpose [10][16].

No NATO ally has ever publicly acknowledged developing contingency plans to resist another member's forces. The closest historical parallel may be Turkey and Greece, whose rivalry over Cyprus brought them to the brink of conflict multiple times—but neither openly prepared infrastructure sabotage against the other [16].

Denmark's approach drew from a different playbook entirely. The tripwire concept echoes Cold War strategies used against the Soviet Union, where small allied forces were positioned in West Berlin and along the inter-German border specifically so that any Soviet advance would immediately create a multinational incident. Denmark applied this same logic—but against Washington [1].

The Strategic Prize: Why Greenland Matters

Understanding Denmark's extreme response requires understanding what makes Greenland so strategically valuable that a US president would threaten to take it by force.

Mineral wealth: Greenland is estimated to hold 36–42 million metric tons of rare earth oxides—potentially the world's second-largest reserve after China. A 2023 survey found that 25 of the 34 minerals classified as "critical raw materials" by the European Commission are present on the island [17][18].

Military positioning: The Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base), operated by the US Space Force on Greenland's northwest coast, is the northernmost US military installation and serves as a critical early warning station for ballistic missiles and space surveillance. Approximately 150 US Space Force personnel are currently stationed there under the 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement [19].

Arctic control: Greenland sits astride the GIUK Gap—the naval chokepoint between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK that links the Arctic to the Atlantic. As climate change opens new Arctic shipping routes, control of this chokepoint becomes increasingly valuable [17].

Great power competition: China has expressed sustained interest in Greenland's resources and strategic position, while Russia continues expanding its Arctic military presence. US defense planners view Greenland as essential to preventing Chinese or Russian strategic footholds in the Arctic [17][18].

Denmark's $13.7 Billion Bet on Arctic Defense

The runway demolition plan was one component of a far broader Danish military buildup. In January 2025, Denmark announced 14.6 billion kroner ($2.05 billion) in new Arctic defense spending [20][21]. By October 2025, a second agreement added 27.4 billion kroner ($4.26 billion), including the purchase of 16 F-35 fighter jets [22].

By January 2026, total commitments reached over 88 billion kroner (approximately $13.7 billion) for Arctic defense through 2033—an extraordinary sum for a country of 5.9 million people [23]. The spending covers new Arctic patrol vessels, a new Arctic command headquarters, a North Atlantic undersea communications cable, maritime patrol aircraft, and advanced anti-aircraft systems [22][23].

This investment dwarfs anything Denmark has previously committed to its northern territories and represents a fundamental reorientation of Danish defense policy—from contributing to NATO's collective defense posture to preparing for potential conflict with NATO's most powerful member.

Greenland's Independence Debate: Caught Between Powers

The crisis has profoundly reshaped Greenland's own political landscape. A January 2025 Verian poll found that 56% of Greenlanders would vote yes to independence from Denmark if a referendum were held, with 28% opposed and 17% undecided [24]. A subsequent poll showed support rising to 84% [25]. However, 61% opposed independence if it meant a lower standard of living [25].

Crucially, the independence movement is directed away from both Denmark and the United States: 85% of Greenlanders oppose leaving the Danish Realm to become part of the US, with only 6% in favor [24].

Source: Verian Group Poll, January 2025

Data as of Jan 15, 2025CSV

The runway demolition revelation adds a bitter new dimension to this debate. For Greenlandic independence advocates, the plan exemplifies precisely the problem with continued Danish sovereignty: decisions about Greenlandic infrastructure and security are made in Copenhagen, potentially without Greenlandic consent, in service of Danish—not Greenlandic—strategic interests. That Denmark would plan to destroy the airports connecting Greenland's isolated communities to survive a geopolitical contest between external powers underscores the democratic deficit that fuels the independence movement.

The March 2026 Danish general election saw the Greenland question feature prominently, with the election widely viewed as a test of sentiment on independence and Denmark's handling of the crisis [26].

What Happens Now?

Several critical questions remain unanswered. Is the demolition plan still active? DR's reporting suggests that as tensions eased following Trump's Davos reversal, the immediate operational preparations were scaled back—but Operation Arctic Endurance continues throughout 2026, and Denmark's broader military buildup proceeds at full speed [8][23].

What is the US government's response? Beyond the public Davos reversal, the impact on day-to-day US-Denmark military cooperation, intelligence sharing, and the Pituffik Space Base agreement remains opaque. The 1951 defense agreement that governs the US military presence in Greenland remains in force, but the revelation that Denmark prepared to fight US forces inevitably casts a shadow over the relationship [19].

Will there be accountability? Neither the Danish nor Greenlandic government has formally responded to the DR report. No parliamentary inquiry has been announced. The 12 sources who spoke to DR remain anonymous, and the military operations order has not been publicly released [3].

What is clear is that in January 2026, a NATO ally prepared for war with the United States—complete with explosives, blood supplies, and a multinational tripwire force. Whether that preparation was a sober act of deterrence or a reckless escalation depends on which side of the Atlantic you stand. But the fact that it happened at all marks a rupture in the Western alliance without modern precedent, and one whose consequences will reverberate through Arctic geopolitics for years to come.