Officially it was described as an exercise with NATO allies. But Denmark and European allies were in reality preparing to confront a real American attack on Greenland this winter.
Denmark, Sweden and other countries that sent soldiers to Greenland while the crisis was ongoing brought with them bags of blood and made preparations to blow up the runways at Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, writes Danmarks Radio.
The aim was to prevent American military aircraft from having the possibility to land. In the event that it should end in combat, the Danes and other countries had brought blood banks.
DR has for years communicated with the Danish government, as well as senior officers and officials and intelligence sources in Denmark, France and Germany.
All these sources played a key role when the crisis arose, after the USA demanded control over Greenland. They describe the situation as highly tense, but none can point to the USA having concrete plans of attack.
The fear was at its highest when the conflict sharpened in January this year. Denmark requested assistance from allies in Europe.
– With the Greenland crisis, Europe realised once and for all that we must be capable of safeguarding our own security, says a senior French official.
He has played a decisive role in the intense months and critical days during the Greenland crisis.
Denmark took the initiative
Representatives from France and Germany state that Denmark took the initiative for closer military cooperation already in early 2025, shortly after Donald Trump was elected President of the USA.
A German official says to DR:
– Perhaps we will never know whether they planned to use military force, says the official and continues:
– I grew up during the Cold War, and sometimes I could well wish myself back to the relatively stable time when the world’s leaders knew how far they could go without triggering the worst conceivable scenario.
In addition to Paris and Berlin, Nordic capitals also showed interest in the Danish desire to create a political alliance concerning the defence of Greenland, which, together with the Faroe Islands (Færøyene), is part of the Danish Realm (Rigsfællesskabet).
Wanted to avoid escalation
Denmark wished to avoid an escalation with the USA, but would not readily yield to the overwhelming military superiority should it come to an American attack on Greenland.
– The political leadership, the defence and the security apparatus in Denmark decided to “play the game”, says the French official.
– We would do almost everything that Denmark had requested.
Europe must “relearn the grammar of power”, he further states. One cannot rely on military support from the USA should Europe be attacked.
– We have seen an increasing brutality and a return to pure power politics. The notion of alliances is in the process of crumbling, assesses the official:
– The question is whether Europe is capable of standing firm. And of adapting.
Denmark’s objective was European solidarity and increased military activity in Greenland. For France, this concerned a small battalion of several hundred men. France also promised that, if necessary, it could send additional soldiers, air support and naval forces.
The short military intervention in Venezuela, where the USA sent in special forces that captured the country’s president and dictator Nicolás Maduro, resulted in a certain degree of panic in Europe.
– When Trump continuously says that he will annex Greenland, and what happened in Venezuela happened there, then we had to take all scenarios seriously, says the source.
The result was that European leaders were left with a sense “that the official USA does not function as it usually does”:
– Trump does not to the same extent as before have people around him who would advise against it. It is extremely dangerous.
This can be interpreted in various ways, but to some it appears as a Europe, which is severely weakened militarily and economically, playing with fire in something that, in the absolute worst case, could lead to a war on three fronts:
- War against Russia
- Conflict with the USA
- The struggle against the internal and imported enemies