Denmark bolsters Greenland defense amid Trump's remarks
Photo: Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (Getty Images)
The Danish government has announced a significant increase in defense spending for Greenland. The decision comes after US President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his desire to purchase the Arctic territory, BBC reports.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated that the defense package amounts to a "double digit billion amount" in Danish kroner, equivalent to at least $1.5 billion.
He described the timing of the announcement as "irony of fate," as Trump recently declared that owning and controlling the vast island is an "absolute necessity" for the United States.
Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, hosts a major US space facility and holds strategic importance for the US, lying along the shortest route to Europe. The island also has large reserves of minerals and oil.
Poulsen noted that the package includes funding for two new inspection vessels, two new long-range drones, and two additional dog sled teams.
It also provides for expanding the staff of the Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and upgrading one of the island's three main civilian airports to accommodate F-35 supersonic fighter jets.
While Poulsen did not disclose the exact amount, Danish media estimate the package to be around 12-15 billion kroner (at least $1.6 billion).
"We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence," he said.
Trump's statement
US President-elect Donald Trump has recently started talking about purchasing Greenland again and threatened to regain control of the Panama Canal.
"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," he said.
Read more about what's behind Trump's plans for Greenland and the Panama Canal in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
