US says it has no plans to increase military presence in Greenland

The United States has no current plans to increase its military presence in Greenland, the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen said on Thursday, following renewed interest by incoming President Donald Trump in acquiring the Arctic island.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, said this week that U.S. control of the strategically important Arctic island was an "absolute necessity" and did not rule out using military or economic action such as tariffs against Denmark to make it happen.

"There are no plans to increase the United States' current military footprint in Greenland," the spokesperson told Reuters. "We will continue to work closely with Copenhagen and Nuuk to ensure any proposals meet our common security needs."


Greenland is crucial for the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early-warning system, since the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island.

The U.S. military maintains a permanent presence at the Pituffik air base in Greenland's northwest.