Denmark’s Defence Ministry has confirmed that the nation’s military will fire, without waiting for orders or a declaration of war, on any hostile force invading Greenland, including US troops.
In response to a query from the Danish newspaper Berlingske, the ministry cited standing regulations from 1952, which stipulate that Danish military personnel stationed on the strategically vital Arctic island must “immediately take up the fight” in the event of an invasion, regardless of whether a greenlight has been given from Copenhagen.
The confirmation was reported in several media outlets and comes amid growing global unease over Washington’s threats to acquire or annex Greenland – an autonomous Danish territory that holds abundant reserves of rare earths widely used in military technology.
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The White House has refused to rule out the use of force in its bid to take control of the island, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to point out that a US invasion would spell the death of NATO.
“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,” Frederiksen told Danish media earlier this week, “including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II.”
Copenhagen has also rejected a US offer to buy the island. However, Danish officials are expected to next week meet with Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, in an attempt to diffuse the ongoing crisis.
