Pentagon to make change to military oversight of Greenland: report
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President Trump pledges to get Greenland "one way or the other"
President Donald Trump pledged to get Greenland "one way or the other" in his speech to Congress.
ILULISSAT, Greenland − The Pentagon is planning to put its military oversight of Greenland under U.S. Northern Command, according to a report, a largely symbolic gesture that comes as President Donald Trump continues to press for the world's largest island to break from Denmark.
Greenland is currently the purview of U.S. European Command, which is headquartered in Germany. U.S. Northern Command is in charge of defending the U.S. homeland and the shift more closely aligns with Trump's pledge to take control of the Danish territory.
Politico first reported the planned redrawing of the Pentagon's command map.
Trump talked about acquiring Greenland during his first term. But since winning reelection he has repeatedly riffed on the strategic importance of Greenland for U.S. national security including, missile defense programs and keeping tabs on Russian and Chinese naval activity in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in natural resources such as oil, gold and rare earths minerals.
'One way or the other': Five ways Trump's Greenland saga could play out
Denmark and the semi-autonomous Faroe Islands will remain under U.S. European Command, according to Politico, effectively creating a symbolic and operational split between those territories. The Pentagon's move is sure to anger Denmark, which has repeatedly stressed that Greenland is not for sale and Trump's stated position does not amount to serious discussion.
The Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C. did not return a request for comment. Nor did the Joint Arctic Command, Denmark's Greenland-based Arctic security mission that consists of units such as inspection ships, patrol vessels, aircraft, helicopters and the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol.
'Buy us!': Greenlanders shocked, intrigued, bewildered by Trump zeal for Arctic territory
A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said there were no announcements to make and deferred all questions about the move to the White House, which declined comment.
The Pentagon has 11 combatant commands – four functional, such as U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Cyber Command, and seven based on geography.
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