Latest news with #NORTHCOM
CNN
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Pentagon considers shifting Greenland to US Northern Command, sparking concerns over Trump's ambitions for the territory
Trump administration officials are weighing a change that would shift responsibility for US security interests in Greenland to the military command that oversees America's homeland defense, underscoring the president's focus on the strategically important territory that he has repeatedly said he wants to acquire, three sources familiar with the deliberations told CNN. The change under consideration would move Greenland out of US European Command's area of responsibility and into US Northern Command, the sources said. On its face, the idea of putting Greenland under NORTHCOM authority makes some logical sense given it is part of the North American continent, though politically and culturally, it is associated with Europe and is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. Some of the discussions pre-date Trump's return to office this year, the sources said. US Northern Command declined to comment. CNN has reached out to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as well as Danish and Greenlandic officials for comment. Still, several US officials expressed wariness about the move because of Trump's repeated insistence that the US 'needs' Greenland and his refusal to rule out military action to obtain it. In an interview with NBC that aired last weekend, Trump renewed that threat. 'I don't rule it out,' he said. 'I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything.' 'We need Greenland very badly,' Trump said. 'Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we'll take care of, and we'll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.' US Northern Command is chiefly responsible for protecting US territory and currently oversees missions like the southern border task force. Trump's rhetoric has also caused major friction with Denmark and with Greenland itself. Putting Greenland under US Northern Command would at least symbolically split Greenland from Denmark, which would still be overseen by US European Command. Danish officials are concerned about the message that could send suggesting that Greenland is not a part of Denmark, one of the sources familiar with the deliberations said. Proponents of the move have pointed out that despite there being a US military base there and Greenland being seen as a vital outpost in competition with Russia and China for access to the Arctic — a major bipartisan national security priority — it sometimes gets overlooked by US European Command because of its distance from the command center in central Europe, one US official said. For US NORTHCOM, though, Greenland is an important vantage point for any potential enemy craft coming from that direction towards the United States. The unclassified version of the US intelligence community's annual threat assessment mentioned Greenland four times, within the context of adversaries like China and Russia seeking to expand their influence there. The discussions about moving Greenland into NORTHCOM come amid another high-profile spat between American and Danish officials over Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said this week that he plans to 'call in' the US acting ambassador to Denmark for talks after a Wall Street Journal report said Washington had ordered US intelligence agencies to increase spying on Greenland. They were directed to learn more about Greenland's independence movement and attitudes towards American resource extraction, the Journal reported. 'I have read the article in the Wall Street Journal, and it worries me greatly because we do not spy on friends,' Rasmussen told reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday, during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers. 'We are going to call in the US acting ambassador for a discussion at the foreign ministry to see if we can confirm this information, which is somewhat disturbing,' Rasmussen added.
CNN
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Pentagon considers shifting Greenland to US Northern Command, sparking concerns over Trump's ambitions for the territory
Trump administration officials are weighing a change that would shift responsibility for US security interests in Greenland to the military command that oversees America's homeland defense, underscoring the president's focus on the strategically important territory that he has repeatedly said he wants to acquire, three sources familiar with the deliberations told CNN. The change under consideration would move Greenland out of US European Command's area of responsibility and into US Northern Command, the sources said. On its face, the idea of putting Greenland under NORTHCOM authority makes some logical sense given it is part of the North American continent, though politically and culturally, it is associated with Europe and is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. Some of the discussions pre-date Trump's return to office this year, the sources said. US Northern Command declined to comment. CNN has reached out to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as well as Danish and Greenlandic officials for comment. Still, several US officials expressed wariness about the move because of Trump's repeated insistence that the US 'needs' Greenland and his refusal to rule out military action to obtain it. In an interview with NBC that aired last weekend, Trump renewed that threat. 'I don't rule it out,' he said. 'I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything.' 'We need Greenland very badly,' Trump said. 'Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we'll take care of, and we'll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.' US Northern Command is chiefly responsible for protecting US territory and currently oversees missions like the southern border task force. Trump's rhetoric has also caused major friction with Denmark and with Greenland itself. Putting Greenland under US Northern Command would at least symbolically split Greenland from Denmark, which would still be overseen by US European Command. Danish officials are concerned about the message that could send suggesting that Greenland is not a part of Denmark, one of the sources familiar with the deliberations said. Proponents of the move have pointed out that despite there being a US military base there and Greenland being seen as a vital outpost in competition with Russia and China for access to the Arctic — a major bipartisan national security priority — it sometimes gets overlooked by US European Command because of its distance from the command center in central Europe, one US official said. For US NORTHCOM, though, Greenland is an important vantage point for any potential enemy craft coming from that direction towards the United States. The unclassified version of the US intelligence community's annual threat assessment mentioned Greenland four times, within the context of adversaries like China and Russia seeking to expand their influence there. The discussions about moving Greenland into NORTHCOM come amid another high-profile spat between American and Danish officials over Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said this week that he plans to 'call in' the US acting ambassador to Denmark for talks after a Wall Street Journal report said Washington had ordered US intelligence agencies to increase spying on Greenland. They were directed to learn more about Greenland's independence movement and attitudes towards American resource extraction, the Journal reported. 'I have read the article in the Wall Street Journal, and it worries me greatly because we do not spy on friends,' Rasmussen told reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday, during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers. 'We are going to call in the US acting ambassador for a discussion at the foreign ministry to see if we can confirm this information, which is somewhat disturbing,' Rasmussen added.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Two Marines killed in crash while on southern border duty identified
The two Marines killed in a vehicle crash Tuesday near the U.S.-Mexico border were both from California and were driving as part of a convoy when the crash occurred. Lance Cpl. Albert A. Aguilera. 22, and Lance Cpl. Marcelino M. Gamino, 28, were both assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, according to a news release from the 1st Marine Division, and were supporting Joint Task Force SouthernBorder operations. Aguilera was from Riverside, California, while Gamino was from Fresno. The crash occurred near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, a suburb of El Paso, Texas on the Mexican border, about 20 miles from Fort Bliss. 'The loss of Lance Cpl. Aguilera and Lance Cpl. Gamino is deeply felt by all of us,' said Lt. Col. Tyrone A. Barrion, commanding officer for 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and Task Force Sapper, in a statement. 'I extend my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families of our fallen brothers. Our top priority right now is to ensure that their families, and the Marines affected by their passing, are fully supported during this difficult time.' Aguilera enlisted in March 2023 and was promoted to lance corporal in May 2024, the news release says. Gamino enlisted in May 2022 and was promoted to lance corporal in August 2024. He deployed to Darwin, Australia, with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin in 2024. A third Marine in the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion was injured in the crash and is listed in critical condition, the news release says. All three Marines were in a vehicle when the crash occurred during convoy movement. No further information about the circumstances of the crash have been publicly released. On Jan. 20, President Doanld Trump declared a national emergency on the southern border and ordered the U.S. military to support the Department of Homeland Security. The Defense Department has deployed about 7,200 U.S. troops on federal orders to the U.S.-Mexico border, of which about 2,400 are National Guardsmen, according to U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM. On top of that, about 4,600 Texas National Guardsmen are also deployed to the southern border as part of Operation Lone Star, which is a state mission that is separate from NORTHCOM's operations. Navy fires commanding officer, command master chief of expeditionary security squadron The Marine Corps has settled the debate over the size of a rifle squad Leg day: Army cuts down on number of paid parachutists Navy commissions its newest submarine, the USS Iowa Why veterans are the real target audience for 'Helldivers 2'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Navy destroyer helps apprehend 13 people for border security mission
The destroyer USS Spruance recently helped the Coast Guard and agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, take 13 people into custody as part of the ship's mission to bolster security on the southern border, according to U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM. The Spruance left San Diego on March 22 to assist U.S. government agencies assigned to combat transitional crime, piracy, illegal immigration, and other activities, a NORTHCOM news release says. An embedded Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment is aboard the Spruance during its border security mission. One day after getting underway, the destroyer used its radar to help the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter and a CBP interceptor boat interdict a suspect vessel, NORTHCOM wrote in a March 29 post on X. No further information was immediately available about what type of alleged illicit activity the 13 people apprehended by CBP agents are accused of doing. Since President Donald Trump issued an executing order in January directing the military to support the Department of Homeland Security on border security, more than 10,000 troops have either deployed or been approved to deploy to the region, including about 2,400 soldiers with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. The Spruance, which is operating in the Pacific, is one of two Navy destroyers taking part in border security missions. The USS Gravely left its homeport of Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Virginia on March 15. The Gravely and Spruance are deployed to the waters off Mexico. According to Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of NORTHCOM, the warships' presence represents 'our resolve to achieve operational control of the border.' Prior to returning to its homeport of San Diego in December, the Spruance spent five months deployed with the strike group for the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, during which the Spruance and another destroyer, USS Stockdale, were attacked by Houthi drones and anti-ship missiles. Neither ship was damaged, and no sailors were hurt in the attack. A photo posted on the Spruance's Facebook page in January showing the ship's victory markings indicates that it had downed six missiles and seven drones during its deployment. Those 'Hegseth bodyguards' are actually there for the Air Force's 'Doomsday' plane Army wants junior officers to fix quality-of-life issues that drive soldiers out '100% OPSEC' apparently means texting military plans to a reporter Ranger School's new fitness test is tougher than ever, but nixes sit-ups This photo of Air Force special ops pool training is chaos. There's a reason for that.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Troops in Stryker armored vehicles to patrol southern border
U.S. troops deployed to the southern border can now conduct patrols in Stryker armored vehicles, according to U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM. The move comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered on March 1 that about 2,400 soldiers with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division deploy to the U.S.-Mexico border. Then, on March 20, Hegseth authorized U.S. service members assigned to the border region to conduct 'enhanced detection and monitoring' to support agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, a recent NORTHCOM news release says. This will allow troops to go from manning stationary positions on the border to using Strykers and other tactical military vehicles for patrols within designated patrol zones and to transport Customs and Border agents on patrol routes. Strykers are eight-wheeled vehicles that can carry up to 11 people and reach a top speed of 60 miles per hour, according to the Army. Some variants include a remote weapons station for a .50 caliber machine gun or MK19 grenade launcher. 'The unique military capabilities and equipment such as 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's Stryker armored vehicles can be more effectively utilized by Joint Task Force – Southern Border (JTF-SB) while working with CBP to achieve operational control of the border,' the news release says. More than 10,000 service members have either deployed or been approved to deploy to the southern border region. Because the troops are on federal orders under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, they are not allowed to carry out law enforcement activities, including seizing and arresting individuals, according to NORTHCOM. 'Any law enforcement actions to apprehend individuals suspected of illegal entry must be conducted only by non-DoD law enforcement personnel and National Guard personnel in a non-federalized status accompanying these patrols,' the NORTHCOM news release says. Service members assigned to Joint Task Force – Southern Border have already conducted training on how to abide by the law when detecting, tracking, and monitoring suspected illegal activity along the border, the news release says. CBP agents will be 'on-hand or nearby' during patrols to perform any required law enforcement activity, Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of NORTHCOM, said in the news release. U.S. troops supporting security efforts on the southern border will be armed with their assigned weapons, per established policies and procedures, NORTHCOM spokesperson Marine Col. Kelly Frushour told Task & Purpose. 'If the tactical task prohibits carrying of a weapon, an armed overwatch position will provide protection,' Frushour said in a statement. 'As always, U.S. forces retain the right to self-defense.' The Army's Master Combat Badges will be coming to soldiers this month Air Force shoots down Houthi drones launched at Navy carrier strike group Medal of Honor recipient depicted in movie 'Glory' erased from Pentagon website 'Saving Private Ryan' didn't make the Army's list of most accurate movie portrayals Army reveals designs for Mountaineering and Mariner Badges
