Denmark considered destroying Greenland runways amid fears of US attack

Denmark is reported to have quietly prepared to blow up its own runways in Greenland – as European allies rushed troops north – amid fears that the United States might attempt to seize the Arctic territory by force in January.

According to reporting by Danish national broadcaster DR, citing multiple senior sources in Copenhagen and across Europe, Danish forces deployed to Greenland in January 2026 carried explosives intended to destroy key airstrips in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, in order to deny access to any incoming US military aircraft in a worst-case scenario.

The episode suggests the extent to which Denmark and its European allies appear to have considered – and prepared for – a potential military confrontation with the United States, highlighting strains in transatlantic relations and adding momentum to Europe’s push for greater strategic autonomy.

“We were faced with the most difficult foreign policy situation since the Second World War,” said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, addressing the revelations on the sidelines of Thursday’s EU summit. “The only reason we are in a better position today is because we have close, strong and reliable European allies.”

https://www.euractiv.com/news/denmark-considered-destroying-greenland-runways-amid-fears-of-us-attack/


I think the ever-deepening Iran quagmire is probably going to put the kibosh on military adventurism, but this is still....