Pentagon 'not aware of any plans' to take Greenland by force
The Pentagon on Wednesday said it was “not aware” of any plans to invade Greenland if ordered to do so, after President-elect Trump a day earlier refused to rule out using military force to seize Denmark's autonomous territory.
“I'm certainly not going to get into hypothetical situations. I think that's for the incoming administration to speak to,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters when asked of any contingency plans.
“We're concerned with the real national security concerns that confront this building every day,” she added, pointing to U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, efforts to quell Middle East conflicts and pacing challenges against China in the Indo-Pacific.
Asked whether the Pentagon had ever drafted a plan to militarily take Greenland, Singh said she was “not aware of any plans to do that.”
Trump in a Tuesday press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida declared that the U.S. needs both Greenland and the Panama Canal for national and economic security, but he has not laid out any concrete plans for acquiring either.
“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up, because we need it for national security,” Trump said, referring to Greenland.
When asked if he could rule out military action or economic coercion to gain both countries, he replied: “I can’t assure you on either of those two.”
“I’m not going to commit to that. Now it might be that you’ll have to do something,” Trump said.
Trump in his first term mused about buying Greenland from Denmark, which has been unified with the territory for more than 200 years. At the time, the Danish prime minister rebuffed him, calling the thought “absurd.”
But the incoming president appears far more fixed on the idea this time around, with his son, Donald Trump Jr., visiting the 57,000-person island on Monday in a trip that did not involve any official government meetings.
The island is seen as valuable to U.S. national security interests given its proximity to Russia and China’s steadily increasing activities in the Arctic.
The U.S. last tried to buy Greenland in 1946, when it offered Denmark $100 million in gold, a deal the country rejected.
The U.S. has a military base on the island known as Pituffik Space Base. The installation includes an airfield that operates year-round and is part of mutual defense agreements between Washington and Copenhagen.
Asked about Trump’s comments, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that “the idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one, but maybe more important, it’s obviously not going to happen, so we probably shouldn’t waste a lot of time talking about it.”
Topics
-
Will Trump really take Canada and Greenland?
He also said he wants to reclaim the Panama CanalBBC News - 20h -
Blinken on US taking over Greenland: 'Not going to happen'
Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed President-elect Trump’s idea of the U.S. owning Greenland, saying it’s “obviously” not going to happen. “The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously ...The Hill - 21h -
Germany and France warn Trump against use of force over Greenland
Olaf Scholz says borders are inviolable after president-elect talks of using US military or tariffs to take control of island. Germany and France have warned Donald Trump against any attempt to ...The Guardian - 22h -
Trump Raises Using Military or Economic Force to Take Greenland and the Panama Canal
In an hourlong news conference at his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, the president-elect delivered a hodgepodge of grievances, complaints and false claims.The New York Times - 23h -
Trump suggests taking Greenland and Panama Canal by force
During an hourlong press conference, President-elect Trump mapped out headline-making plans for his administration — including seizing the Panama Canal and Greenland and renaming the Gulf of Mexico ...NBC News - 1d -
Trump says he won't rule out military force to take Greenland
President-elect Donald Trump held a wide-ranging news conference Monday in which he reiterated his insistence that the U.S. should take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, adding that he ...CBS News - 1d -
Trump doesn't rule out using military force to take control of Panama Canal, Greenland
President-elect Donald Trump held a wide-ranging press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. He addressed pardons for Jan. 6 defendants and whether he would pursue efforts to put Greenland and the ...CBS News - 1d -
Trump refuses to rule out force to take Greenland and Panama Canal
US president-elect also vows to rename Gulf of Mexico as ‘Gulf of America’ and to impose tariffs on alliesFinancial Times - 1d -
Controversial congestion pricing plan takes effect in NYC
Driving just got more expensive for many New York City commuters as congestion pricing was put to its first rush hour test. Supporters argue the plan cuts down on gridlock and greenhouse gas ...CBS News - 2d
More from The Hill
-
Mandy Moore, Billy Crystal among celebrities who lost homes in Los Angeles wildfires
Wildfires raging across parts of Los Angeles have destroyed several celebrities’ homes, including actors Mandy Moore and Billy Crystal. More than 1,000 structures have burned from the Pacific ...The Hill - 19m -
Live coverage: Trump, Biden gather with former presidents for Carter funeral
The nation will pay its respects to former President Carter on Thursday, with five presidents gathered at Washington National Cathedral for his funeral service. President-elect Trump is joined by ...The Hill - 22m -
Garland tells Congress he'll provide Trump special counsel report to leaders when courts allow
Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers Wednesday that he believes it is in the public interest to release special counsel Jack Smith’s report covering the Mar-a-Lago documents probe after ...The Hill - 25m -
NY top court denies delaying Trump sentencing
New York’s highest court on Thursday declined to halt President-elect Trump’s sentencing on his hush money criminal conviction, which is scheduled for Friday morning. In a terse note, the New York ...The Hill - 26m -
AT&T to credit qualifying customers after service outages: Who is eligible?
The telecommunications giant touted its new "AT&T Guarantee" in a press release issued Wednesday.The Hill - 32m
More in Politics
-
Mandy Moore, Billy Crystal among celebrities who lost homes in Los Angeles wildfires
Wildfires raging across parts of Los Angeles have destroyed several celebrities’ homes, including actors Mandy Moore and Billy Crystal. More than 1,000 structures have burned from the Pacific ...The Hill - 19m -
Live coverage: Trump, Biden gather with former presidents for Carter funeral
The nation will pay its respects to former President Carter on Thursday, with five presidents gathered at Washington National Cathedral for his funeral service. President-elect Trump is joined by ...The Hill - 22m -
Garland tells Congress he'll provide Trump special counsel report to leaders when courts allow
Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers Wednesday that he believes it is in the public interest to release special counsel Jack Smith’s report covering the Mar-a-Lago documents probe after ...The Hill - 25m -
NY top court denies delaying Trump sentencing
New York’s highest court on Thursday declined to halt President-elect Trump’s sentencing on his hush money criminal conviction, which is scheduled for Friday morning. In a terse note, the New York ...The Hill - 26m -
Amanda Gorman: California fires show an ‘uptick in what we have to face from the forces of nature’
Poet Amanda Gorman joins Kristen Welker for a Meet the Moment conversation and reacts to the deadly wildfires spreading across Los Angeles, where she was born and raised.NBC News - 26m