Latest news with #USNorthernCommand
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First Post
3 days ago
- Business
- First Post
Is this Trump's step towards taking over Greenland?
The Pentagon is preparing to shift military oversight of Greenland from US European Command to US Northern Command, a move that could draw the Arctic island closer into America's strategic orbit, according to a report read more The Pentagon is preparing to shift military oversight of Greenland from US European Command to US Northern Command, a move that could draw the Arctic island closer into America's strategic orbit as President Donald Trump continues to show interest in taking control over the Arctic landmass. According to a Politico report, the shift in oversight, which could come as soon as this week, could also help the US broaden its Golden Dome missile shield by providing more radars for coverage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Under the plan, Greenland would shift to Northern Command, which is responsible for overseeing the security of North America, added the report, citing a DOD official and two people familiar with the planning. The switch is the clearest step yet in the Trump administration's effort to gain control over Greenland, an autonomous territory tied to Denmark. Trump first mentioned buying Greenland during his first term, but has brought it up more often since winning re-election last November. His renewed interest has worried Greenland's 58,000 residents and frustrated the Danish government, which says the island is not for sale. Moving Greenland under US Northern Command is likely to draw attention in Denmark and among Nato allies, many of whom are uneasy about Trump's ongoing push to take over the island and his refusal to rule out military options. Meanwhile, Denmark and the Faroe Islands will stay under European Command, creating a symbolic and practical split from Greenland. 'From the perspective of geography, the move makes some sense,' Politico quoted one of the people familiar with the matter as saying. 'From a political perspective, however, this clearly is going to worry Europe,' the official added. According to the Politico report, the shift in Greenland's oversight comes as part of the Pentagon's broader review of the Unified Command Plan, which defines the responsibilities of the military's six geographic commands. While the Greenland move doesn't change leadership structures, other proposals — like merging Northern and Southern Commands or moving Africa Command back under European Command — could significantly affect top military roles and the global distribution of US forces. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For months, the Trump administration has emphasised Greenland's strategic value, citing its North Atlantic location as key for missile defence and tracking Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. The change could pave the way for more Golden Dome radar systems on the island, further integrating Greenland into US and Canadian defence strategies. US Northern Command is primarily tasked with defending the homeland, overseeing missions like border security, air and missile defense, and military cooperation with Canada and Mexico. Shifting Greenland under Northern Command would effectively separate it from Denmark in US strategic planning, elevating the island's importance in Pentagon and White House discussions, reported Politico. According to the report, citing one source familiar with the move, Denmark has not yet been formally briefed about the move. The US has maintained a military presence in Greenland for decades. In March, Vice President JD Vance and then–national security adviser Mike Waltz visited Pituffik Space Base — home to the Pentagon's northernmost deepwater port and a key site for monitoring Russia and China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During the visit, Vance urged Greenland to 'cut a dea' with the US, saying, 'I think that you'd be a lot better coming under the United States security umbrella than you have been under Denmark's.' Back in January, Denmark pledged an additional $2 billion toward Greenland's defence in part to ease US concerns. Still, Nato and European leaders remain wary of Trump's growing interest in the island. Trump's comments on the importance of the Arctic have caught the attention of Nato leaders. The alliance's secretary general, Mark Rutte, said last week that 'for Nato, we're getting more involved' in Arctic security issues. He added that Trump calling attention to Russian and Chinese moves in the region marked a positive development. In an interview with NBC last month, Trump said he would not rule out taking Greenland by military force. 'I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything,' he was quoted as saying. 'We need Greenland very badly,' he added. With inputs from agencies
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump deploys 1,115 additional troops to US-Mexico border, bringing total to nearly 10K service members
The Trump administration approved an additional 1,115 service members for deployment to the southern border Thursday as part of President Trump's mission to seal off the US-Mexico boundary. The latest round of deployments will bring the total number of US troops at the border close to 10,000 – far higher than the 2,500 National Guardsmen former President Joe Biden had stationed on the frontier at the end of his term. Currently, there are more than 8,000 service members actively patrolling the US-Mexico border in aerial, maritime and land support roles, a US Northern Command spokesperson told The Post. 3 There are currently more than 8,000 US service members guarding the US-Mexico border. U.S. Northern Command The incoming units will provide 'enhanced sustainment, engineering, medical, and operational capabilities as part of the Department of Defense's continued whole-of-government approach to gain full operational control of the southern border,' US Northern Command said in a statement. Approved elements for deployment include members of the Army's Expeditionary Sustainment Command, to coordinate logistics, and the Quartermaster Field Feeding Company, to ensure troops get enough to eat in the harsh environments. About half of the 1,115 soldiers set for deployment are attached to engineering companies, battalions and brigades and will be tasked with construction-oriented missions. Trump's 'big, beautiful' agenda bill, which cleared the House of Representatives early Thursday morning, provides $175 billion in spending on border security – including $46.5 billion for new border wall construction. The legislation still needs to be approved by the Senate. 3 Federal agents encountered fewer than 10,000 migrants illegally crossing the southern border last month. U.S. Department of Defense 3 The Senate is considering legislation that would provide more than $200 billion for border security. U.S. Department of Defense Illegal border crossings from Mexico have hit historic lows since Trump took office in January. Last month, federal agents encountered fewer than 10,000 migrants crossing the southern border illegally, marking a 93% decrease from the more than 128,000 people who streamed across last April during the Biden administration, Border Patrol statistics show. Trump's Day One executive order on border security ordered the US military to 'defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity' of the US by repelling illegal migrants, drug smugglers and human traffickers seeking to enter the country between ports of entry. Apart from sending more troops, Trump has also authorized the military to take control of large swaths of federal land along the southern border in order to accomplish the mission.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
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Business Standard
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Trump criticises Sheinbaum for rejecting US troops offer to Mexico
President Donald Trump on Sunday said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected his proposal to send US troops to Mexico to help thwart the illegal drug trade because she is fearful of the country's powerful cartels The comments by Trump came a day after Sheinbaum confirmed that Trump pressed her in a call last month to accept a bigger role for the US military in combating drug cartels in Mexico. Trump said it was true that he proposed sending the troops to Mexico and lashed into Sheinbaum for dismissing the idea. Well she's so afraid of the cartels she can't walk, so you know that's the reason," Trump said in comments to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. "And I think she's a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can't even think straight. The US military presence along the southern border with Mexico has increased steadily in recent months, following Trump's order in January to increase the army's role in stemming the flow of migrants. The US Northern Command has surged troops and equipment to the border, increased manned surveillance flights to monitor fentanyl trafficking along the border and sought expanded authority for US Special Forces to work closely with Mexican forces conducting operations against cartels. But Sheinbaum said that US troops operating inside Mexico was going too far. We can work together, but you in your territory and us in ours, Sheinbaum said she told Trump. Trump in February designated as foreign terrorist organizations many gangs and cartels smuggling drugs into the US , restricting their movements and lending law enforcement more resources to act against them. But Sheinbaum's stance and Trump's response suggest that US pressure for unilateral military intervention could create tension between the two leaders after cooperation on immigration and trade in the early going of Trump's second term. Trump said the US military is needed to stem the scourge of fentanyl in the United States. They are bad news, Trump said of the cartels. If Mexico wanted help with the cartels we would be honored to go in and do it. I told her that. I would be honored to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country.
The Herald Scotland
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump criticises Mexico for rejecting offer to send troops
Mr Trump said it was 'true' that he proposed sending the troops to Mexico and lashed out at Ms Sheinbaum for dismissing the idea. 'Well, she's so afraid of the cartels she can't walk, so you know that's the reason,' Mr Trump said in comments to reporters aboard Air Force One. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum (AP) 'And I think she's a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can't even think straight.' The US military presence along the southern border with Mexico has increased steadily in recent months, following Mr Trump's order in January to increase the army's role in stemming the flow of migrants. US Northern Command has surged troops and equipment to the border, increased manned surveillance flights to monitor fentanyl trafficking along the border and sought expanded authority for US Special Forces to work closely with Mexican forces conducting operations against cartels. But Ms Sheinbaum said that US troops operating inside Mexico was going too far. 'We can work together, but you in your territory and us in ours,' Ms Sheinbaum said she told Mr Trump. Mr Trump in February designated as 'foreign terrorist organisations' many gangs and cartels smuggling drugs into the US, restricting their movements and lending law enforcement more resources to act against them. But Ms Sheinbaum's stance — and Mr Trump's response — suggest that US pressure for unilateral military intervention could create tension between the two leaders after co-operation on immigration and trade in the early going of Mr Trump's second term. He said the US military is needed to stem the scourge of fentanyl in the United States. 'They are bad news,' Mr Trump said of the cartels. 'If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honoured to go in and do it. I told her that. I would be honoured to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country.'
