Aircraft from the North American Aerospace Defense Command are scheduled to arrive in Greenland amidst a period of heightened tensions and a bolstered NATO presence triggered by President Donald Trump’s bid to acquire the Danish territory.
But, NORAD — a bi-national military organization jointly operated by the U.S. and Canada — emphasized that these are “long-planned” operations that were coordinated with Denmark.
The aircraft will land at the Pituffik Space Base, located on the northwest coast of Greenland. It is the United States’ only active base on the Arctic island and was visited by Vice President JD Vance in March.
“They will support various long-planned NORAD activities, building on the enduring defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark,” NORAD said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
“This activity has been coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark, and all supporting forces operate with the requisite diplomatic clearances,” NORAD added. “The Government of Greenland is also informed of planned activities.”
The military organization further noted that such activities are routine.
The influx of military assets and personnel comes after Trump repeatedly expressed his desire to acquire Greenland — which has a population of roughly 57,000 people — for the U.S.
“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security,” Trump recently wrote on Truth Social, claiming that Russia and China will take over absent American action. “Anything less than that is unacceptable.”
The White House has said it has several options at its disposal, including purchasing the island or even annexing it by force.
Trump’s overtures have sparked widespread alarm among NATO allies, who warn that his actions threaten to unravel the long-standing alliance. Some have likened them to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conquest in Ukraine.
In response to their opposition, Trump said over the weekend that he was slapping a 10 percent tariff on eight European nations, which he said will be “payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
The leaders of these nations, which include the U.K., France and Denmark, released a joint statement condemning the president’s latest levies, claiming they “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
Earlier this week, the 79-year-old Republican president sent a letter to the prime minister of Norway, in which he said he “no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace” after he was snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize last year. The same day, when asked whether he would use military force to take Greenland, Trump said: “No comment.”
On Tuesday morning, he posted a fake photo of himself planting an American flag on Greenland.
Following Trump’s threats, troops from several European nations, including France, Germany and Norway, have been deployed to Greenland to boost the island’s security.
Trump’s overtures have sparked a rare rebuke from a number of his Republican allies in Congress — and from Mike Pence, his former vice president.
“I have concerns about using what I think is a questionable constitutional authority, imposing unilateral tariffs on NATO allies to achieve this objective, as much as I had concerns about the threat of a military invasion, which apparently is no longer being talked about,” Pence told CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday.
“There’s certainly not an appetite here for some of the options that have been talked about or considered,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said last week. Senator Mitch McConnell, Thune’s predecessor, said that military action against the territory would be “an unprecedented act of strategic self-harm,” which would risk “incinerating” NATO alliances.
Meanwhile, Congressman Don Bacon predicted such an action — which he called “the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard” — would result in Trump’s impeachment.
A number of congressional Republicans, though, have offered Trump their full-throated support.
“When it comes to Greenland, I want to commend President Trump for being single-mindedly focused on America first,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz told Fox News Sunday. “I believe it is overwhelmingly in America’s national interest to acquire Greenland … The whole history of America has been a history of acquiring new lands and new territories.”
Polls show that there is little public appetite for taking over Greenland, with a recent Ipsos survey revealing that just 17 percent of Americans support Trump’s plan.
In Greenland, where anti-Trump protests have erupted in recent days, even fewer residents back Trump’s move to acquire the island — which would rival the Louisiana Purchase.
A poll commissioned by Danish newspaper Berlingske last January found just 6 percent of Greenlanders would support joining the U.S.
