Denmark secretly prepared to demolish key runways in Greenland earlier this year to thwart a potential United States invasion, according to a report by public broadcaster DR.

In January 2026, Danish troops were hastily flown to the autonomous Danish territory carrying explosives specifically for destroying airstrips at Nuuk, the capital, and Kangerlussuaq, a strategically important town to the north. The soldiers also transported blood bags from Danish blood banks to treat possible casualties in combat. These measures formed part of a Danish military operations order dated January 13, 2026, which DR reviewed and which 12 high-level sources within the Danish government, military, and allied nations confirmed.

The preparations came amid heightened tensions following President Donald Trump's renewed demands for U.S. control over Greenland. On January 4, 2026, days after a U.S. military action in Venezuela, Trump stated that the United States needed Greenland "very badly" and had previously threatened to acquire it "the hard way." Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen firmly rejected any U.S. takeover, with Frederiksen warning that an attack on Greenland would dismantle NATO and the post-World War II security order.

Denmark framed the deployment as the NATO exercise "Arctic Endurance," but sources described it as an operational contingency plan involving elite Danish units from the Dragon Regiment, Engineer Regiment, and Hunter Corps, alongside troops from France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden. Danish fighter jets and a French naval vessel were also positioned in the North Atlantic to bolster deterrence. The multinational buildup aimed to complicate any U.S. action by requiring attacks on multiple NATO members.

A senior Danish defense source told DR that the situation evoked the gravity of April 1940, when Nazi Germany invaded Denmark. An unnamed top French official noted that the crisis solidified Europe's resolve for self-reliant security: "With the Greenland crisis, Europe realised once and for all that we need to be able to take care of our own security."

Tensions eased later in January when Trump announced a vague "framework" agreement on Greenland with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on January 21, though details remain undisclosed. On March 17, U.S. Northern Command's Gen. Gregory Guillot affirmed ongoing cooperation with Denmark under the 1951 defense agreement to expand U.S. access to Greenland bases.

Neither the Danish Ministry of Defence nor the prime ministers' offices have commented on DR's report. The revelations, published Thursday, underscore the strain Trump's Arctic ambitions placed on longstanding alliances, rooted in U.S. concerns over Russian and Chinese influence in the strategically vital region.