Which Of The Two Is Actually Right?#

In other words: What has Denmark done specifically in the past 12 months, when Trump last shouted, to secure Greenland?

B.T. has set out to investigate this.

The answer is that Mette Frederiksen has, first and foremost, entered into agreements worth billions. And held major military exercises. And had French President Emanuel Macron visit Nuuk.

The military capabilities and hardware – they are waiting to be delivered.

Specifically, Arctic Sub-Agreement 1, worth almost fifteen billion (2,3 billion USD), was entered into in January last year to procure three new Arctic ships, long-range drones, establish satellite capacity and ground-based sensors.

But that was not all. Because in October, Arctic Sub-Agreement 2 landed. For a whopping 27.4 billion kroner (4,3 billion USD).

Among other things, the defense negotiator agreed on the acquisition of two additional Arctic ships, maritime patrol aircraft and several drones.

That sounds ambitious. But the fine initiatives will only take effect in a few years. Defense expert Peter Viggo Jakobsen confirms this to B.T.:

“Denmark has done and bought a lot, but it’s a long way from buying an airplane and having it actually fly around.”

He continues:

“So even though a lot has been done, you can’t see it in Greenland yet. On the capacity side, nothing has happened.”

It was Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated that the U.S. “needs Greenland.”

“We need Greenland for national security reasons, and Denmark will not be able to do that, I can tell you that,” said Donald Trump.

According to Peter Viggo Jakobsen, the U.S. has reason to fear that Denmark may not put action behind the words at all.

“We must remember that during Trump’s first presidential term, we adopted an Arctic capacity package, where we promised everything possible,” says Viggo.

“But then Trump was not elected president again, and then nothing came of it, apart from emergency training for twenty Greenlanders. In other words: Nothing has been done.”

Author and defense journalist at the online media outlet OLFI Peter Ernstved Rasmussen shares his namesake’s criticism.

“It has really been nonsense. And it has been under Mette Frederiksen’s government,” he tells B.T. and continues:

“It took many years before she started taking this seriously, even though there were many of us who were shouting on the sidelines.”

Therefore, believes Peter Viggo Jakobsen, Vice President JD Vance was right when he accused Denmark, to great furor, of being a bad ally because we are not living up to our obligations.

“Therefore, the question is, is the U.S. now trying to hold us to the fire because they have learned that if they ease the pressure, we will run away from the agreement, just as we have been some rascals since World War II?”

Peter Viggo Jakobsen continues:

“If that is the case, then it is rational on Trump’s part. But what makes us insecure is if he really just wants Greenland. No matter how many billions we invest.”

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has not wanted to comment on this article.

Instead, Minister of Defense Troels Lun Poulsen acknowledges in a written comment to B.T. that Denmark “has not invested sufficiently in the Arctic for many years.”

“However, in close dialogue with the Greenlandic government and the Faroese government, we have reached Partial Agreements 1 and 2 on the Arctic and the North Atlantic during 2025,” he writes and continues:

“These are large and important agreements with a total value of over 42 billion kroner over the coming years and which deliver in a number of key areas, including new Arctic ships, maritime patrol aircraft and enhanced satellite capacity, surveillance and signal acquisition”.

Troels Lund adds:

“In addition, the military presence is increased with a new military unit under the Arctic Command, and a new military headquarters for the Arctic Command is being established in Nuuk”.

Source: BT (in Danish)