By Hu Chengcheng
Greenland is located in the northeastern part of North America and is an autonomous territory of Denmark. Recent remarks by US President Donald Trump about "seizing the island" have thrust Greenland into the center of public debate.
Military observer Wei Dongxu believes that since both the US and Denmark are NATO members, it is unlikely that the US would directly send large-scale combat forces to seize Greenland by force. Instead, the US is more likely to adopt two alternative approaches. First, without obtaining permission from the Danish government or the Greenlandic authorities, the US could unilaterally expand its military base in Greenland and deploy additional troops there. Second, the US may strengthen its military presence in the surrounding sea and airspace near Greenland under the banner of joint exercises and training.
Wei noted that these two indirect forms of deterrence pose relatively controllable risks for the US. Through such non-combat military actions, the US can exert pressure on the Danish government and Greenlandic authorities while avoiding a complete rupture within NATO.
According to reports, the Danish military has begun transporting military supplies to Greenland and has dispatched advance units to prepare for possible large-scale troop deployments in the future. In addition, to protect Greenland, the Danish Arctic special forces units, the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, plans to expand its size. The patrol has long relied on dog sleds to carry out missions in the polar environment, but this move has been ridiculed by Trump.
Wei analyzed that although Trump ridiculed Denmark's efforts to strengthen Greenland's defenses, claiming that Denmark was merely adding more dogs to pull sleds, in fact, the capabilities of the special forces units should not be underestimated. Greenland has a harsh climate, and in extreme weather such as continuous snowfall, dog sleds may be more useful than US soldiers. Sled dogs are highly resistant to cold, and dog sleds can achieve rapid mobility. In routine patrol missions, their flexibility can even surpass that of armored vehicles.
Denmark's armed forces follow a "small but highly capable" model. For example, Denmark's army is not large in scale, but its equipment is highly advanced. It has introduced newer variants of Germany's Leopard 2 main battle tanks and also acquired the CV90 tracked infantry fighting vehicle suited for cold-weather operations. The Royal Danish Air Force previously operated F-16 fighter jets and later purchased F-35 stealth fighter jets from the US. If US forces were to demonstrate strength in the surrounding sea and airspace near Greenland, an ironic scene could unfold: Denmark using US-made stealth fighters to confront US forces.
It is reported that several European countries, such as Germany and the UK, have dispatched military personnel to Greenland, and France also plans to set up a consulate there. Wei believes that European countries are now feeling uneasy. The US currently wants to control Greenland—could it make similar unreasonable demands of other European countries in the future? To prevent US interference in Greenland, European countries may adopt measures such as stationing troops or holding joint military exercises as a strategic counterbalance to the US. If the US were to take military action against Greenland, NATO's joint operational capability would be severely damaged, and the US would lose the trust of even more European countries.
Editor's note: Originally published on military.cnr.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.