Denmark secretly planned to blow up critical airstrips in Greenland and airlifted medical aid into the region in January, as the Danes were afraid that the US would invade Greenland under the guise of military action to claim the Arctic territory.
Blood supplies from Danish blood banks were airlifted to Greenland to treat any casualties from military action.
The Danish public broadcaster revealed that they had seen a military operations order issued on 13 January outlining plans to defend Greenland.
This was issued days after the US military operation in Venezuela, in which President Maduro was captured and removed from power.
Operation Arctic Endurance, a joint NATO exercise, was used to publicly frame the deployment.
There could be no doubt about the mission’s nature, according to a military source who told DR that it was operational rather than an exercise.
Demolition materials and blood reserves were mentioned as evidence that this was much more than a training exercise.
An advance team of Danish, French, German, Swedish and Norwegian troops was flown into Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq.
Then a larger force, including troops from Denmark’s Dragoon Regiment, elite Jaeger Corps special forces, and French alpine infantry troops, were sent into Greenland.
Denmark F 35 fighter jets were redeployed, and a French warship was sent toward the North Atlantic.
The multinational force included troops from several nations.
Sources claimed that the objective was to deploy troops from as many nations as possible, represented by flags on the ground, so that if the Americans tried to take control of Greenland, they would have to go against several nations.
Sources from the highest levels of Denmark’s defence establishment told DR that the objective of deploying troops into Greenland was to make America pay a price for any action against Greenland.
On January 21, the crisis subsided when Trump announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had reached a framework agreement on Greenland, though the specifics of that agreement are still unknown.
In response to the disclosures, US Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Howery cited Trump’s Davos comments.
Howery said in a statement that Washington anticipated further collaboration with Denmark and Greenland on common issues and that the president had made it clear that Greenland and the Arctic remained crucial to US national security.
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Neither the Danish military, the Danish government nor the Greenland government has commented on the DR report.
The revelations come just days ahead of Denmark’s early general election on 24 March.
Prime Minister Frederiksen, who last month called for a snap election, has seen a surge in support thanks to a “Greenland bounce” following her refusal to back down to US pressure.
