The Defense Department has plans to align Greenland closer to the mainland United States and away from Europe in its operational defense commands.
Greenland is being shifted from European Command’s (EUCOM) jurisdiction to Northern Command (NORTHCOM), which is responsible for overseeing the security of North America, Politico has reported.
The change in command jurisdictions will symbolically and operationally split Denmark, which will remain in EUCOM, from its Arctic territory in North America, in what may be seen in Brussels as a provocative act.
“From the perspective of geography, the move makes some sense,” a DOD official told Politico, adding, “From a political perspective, however, this clearly is going to worry Europe.”
The move is part of a broader review of the Pentagon’s Unified Command Plan, which divides the globe into six geographic areas of responsibility. It is intended to elevate Greenland’s priority in defense planning in Washington, DOD officials told the publication.
President Donald Trump has shown a strong interest in taking control over the Arctic landmass with 58,000 inhabitants, which remains a self-governing territory of Denmark. He first discussed buying Greenland during his first term and has since brought it up again after winning the election last November. The Trump Administration has called Greenland a strategic asset and said its acquisition was necessary to counter rivals like Russia and China.
China has taken an interest in Greenland due to its rich mineral deposits and its strategic geographical location between North America and Europe.
Greenland, which is over 1,242 miles from Denmark, is geographically closer to the United States and only about 26 miles from Canada. However, the Danish government has said that it has no interest in selling the territory to Washington.
Vice President J.D. Vance previously said that “We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic,” and urged authorities in Greenland to “cut a deal” with Washington.
“I think that you’d be a lot better coming under the United States security umbrella than you have been under Denmark’s security umbrella,” he added.
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DOD sources told Politico that aligning the island with its North American regional defense plans would enhance the Golden Dome missile defense shield coverage by allowing it to expand its radar network.
The global anti-ballistic missile program, which was announced by President Trump last month, is estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars and is designed to intercept threats from anywhere on Earth or from space.
The U.S. currently maintains a major military installation at Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which was established in 1951 under a Cold War-era agreement with Denmark. Pituffik is one of the Pentagon’s key bases for space surveillance and detecting ballistic missiles and will serve a central role in the planned missile defense system.
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