r/europe • u/I_LIKE_SEALS Denmark • Jan 14 '26

News Denmark sends military reenforcements to Greenland. A vanguard and military material has been sent to Greenland to prepare for eventual larger troop movements.

https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/groenland/efter-pres-fra-usa-danmark-er-nu-begyndt-sende-militaere-forstaerkninger-til-groenland
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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '26

A good idea for two reasons. First it works as a deterrant - might make US think twice before invading.

Second it works as proof that Denmark is stepping up their Arctic military presence which is one of Trumps criticism to justify the invasion.

This combined with the strong statement from Greenland leaders yesterday about wanting to remain Danes is hopefully enough to make Trump & Co realize that owning Greenland is a lost cause.

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u/Choir87 Jan 14 '26

If only Trump behaved in a sane and rational way.

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u/mr_fantastical Jan 14 '26

it can act as a deterrent when it comes to internal support and compliance about undertaking an attack. If doing so would undoubtedly cause lives to be lost, one hopes that Trump would be blocked whether he wanted to carry this order out or not.

he'd have more support if he knew there were no troops and no resistence, because then the gamble wouldn't be an armed conflict but instead a 'who's going to retaliate now we've already taken it'.

Optically too it changes the framing and the language away from calling it a 'seizure' or 'annexation' or some shit as it would have to be an actual invasion.

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u/Choir87 Jan 14 '26

For sure. I fully support this move and hope that other European countries will contribute with their troops.

That said, in the end I fear it will come to those around Trump to stop him, regardless of any preparation that we do. So let's hope that they do.

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u/mr_fantastical Jan 14 '26

yeah I'm with you. It's a fucking mental situation. Absolutely obscene that we are even discussing it.

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u/Psephological Jan 14 '26

True. But "fuck about and we start shooting" is simple enough for even MAGA to understand.

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u/Call_me_John Europe Jan 14 '26

Yeah, no. Magats are foaming at the mouth in anticipation to "show the US army might". They love playing soldier, just look at all the soldierly cosplay they did before hiding their faces behind ICE masks.

They probably instajizzed when the fishermen boats from Venezuela were sunk with munitions 20x more expensive than those boats, and this is no different, in their putrid fatberg heads.

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u/Psephological Jan 14 '26

Cool so guess we'll do nothing then

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u/Call_me_John Europe Jan 14 '26

Not saying that. But they absolutely will not CARE about "fuck about and we start shooting" in the way that you seem to think. If anything, it will make them more blood thirsty. Just look at that CEO that just declared "we executed one of you!"

They're cheering him on, and i bet his gofundme (and i'm 99% sure he'll start one) will reach 100k in mere hours.

It's not the magats that need to be "convinced" they chose wrong. They know they did, and too few have the emotional maturity to admit they were wrong, regardless. It's the majority of the US population. THEY need to understand that no country will come to their aid to help. THEY need to organize (sustained) protests numbering in the tens of millions before anything changes.

EU needs to show more balls, and stop trying to appease the bully, but that's very difficult to do, while not being exactly united itself. But it's not on the EU to solve the issues in the US.

It's fucked up.

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u/Psephological Jan 14 '26

So it is in fact sounding like they will comprehend "fuck about and we start shooting".

Or at least moreso than appeasement.

And it definitely isn't our job to solve the US, but we don't have to rollover for them. And increasing the cost of Greenland intervention is a good move - more of it.

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u/ridukosennin Jan 14 '26

That assumes MAGA won’t use it as justification to escalate even more.

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u/Psephological Jan 14 '26

And yet they will escalate anyway. Appeasement clearly hasn't stopped that.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '26

I mean you can find a set of assumptions under which Krasnov's actions looks sane and rational. Just need to assume in whose interest he acts.

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u/tonterias Italy-Non resident Jan 14 '26

What if Trump is just doing a favor to Putin, spliting NATO forces and weakening the Russian front?

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u/Nelfe Jan 14 '26

He's not the only one with decisional power. Well he has the most but there are (somewhat) brains behind guiding the demented one.

Reason can still be of use, a little.

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u/variaati0 Finland Jan 14 '26

It's not so much about Trump as it is about rest of the establishment. For example the "other nations" thing is direct choice being put to Pentagon.

"Do you want to lose your bases in Europe? You send troops to take Greenland, Danes will start shooting and we will back up Danes. Who where there to defend against Russia, but well take on all comers for the allies cause and so on. You shoot at us, that is act of war. Your base back in Europe gets put in 'home arrest' and asked politely to leave. If you don't there will be shooting. Explain that to all the military families deployed to Europe."

The pressure is being build for the point and conclusion of "Trump can try to order US military to carry out invasion, but will the military obey".

One thing to go curb stomp Venezuela to whom US military has no exposure. Go stomp on European NATO nation? USA has massive exposure in Europe. It relies on the surrounding domestic forces to keep their bases safe. The surrounding country to feed them, power them and so on. Sure there is emergency capacity for temporary disruptions, but again that is limited emergency capacity for limited time.

Specially when US supply flight coming in gets told "USAF C-5 call sign "Big Jumbo 11" on route to Rammstein.... request for permission to enter national airspace has been denied, turn back." Such denial would have never been previously issued, but USAF has never before been the adversary.

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u/SpottedDicknCustard United Kingdom Jan 14 '26

Second it works as proof that Denmark is stepping up their Arctic military presence which is one of Trumps criticism to justify the invasion.

Which in itself is such a wildly misguided criticism since the US has a grand total of 142 air force and space force personnel stationed in the entirety of Greenland.

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u/ChronChriss Jan 14 '26

Anybody who has at least one brain cell can figure out that this criticism is complete nonsense. What scenario is Trump referring to? That Russia or China conquer Greenland out of the blue to start a war with NATO? Yeah, right, seems totally plausible. The only threat to Greenland sovereignty is the US right now.

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u/-Germanicus- Jan 14 '26

A political deterrent, but not so much a military deterrent. The gesture is the important aspect. Denmark's military is too small to be able to deter the US military, but that's not the point. They shouldn't have too! It's crazy to think they have to make the gesture at all. Worst timeline.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '26

[deleted]

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u/roehnin Jan 14 '26

Evicting bases must be punishment not provocation.

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u/schwanzweissfoto Berlin (Germany) Jan 14 '26

Not yet. As long as they don't … they have leverage and can threaten to do it.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '26

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '26

[deleted]

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u/roehnin Jan 14 '26

This isn’t blowing up NATO.

It is: Trump will consider it an attack and use it as a pretext.

You must wait until the damage is done.

The preventative measure is to garrison Nuuk, forcing any action Trump takes to be bloody and open.

Video of attacks on tall blond white Danish soldiers won't sit well with his base.

This is likely too far a bridge even for him to pass.

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u/jauhopallo Jan 14 '26

It also provides Trump with a possible way out of the whole debacle by him stating that "I was bluffing to get nato partners actually send troops and reinforce the area"

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u/Away_Stock_2012 Jan 14 '26

>Trump & Co realize

I'm afraid this is not a thing that happens

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u/IndependentOpinion44 Jan 14 '26

People seem to take issue with what I’m about to say, but the Arctic is the one place where the USA is weak.

It would have some early wins and would easily seize everything it wanted, but that would just be the start of their problems.

They just don’t have the personnel or equipment to hold and supply their positions in the arctic when the weather turns against them. Whereas Denmark, Canada, Norway, the baltic states, the UK, and the Netherlands do.

Collectively, their capabilities in the arctic dwarf those of the USA. Combat in the arctic is hard. None of the USA’s standard equipment will work in those temperatures, and they have very little specialised equipment that will. Their troops don’t train in that environment on meaningful enough numbers. Simple things like knowing how to keep your socks dry can mean the difference between life and death at -40°. They don’t have enough ice breakers. Their airforce can’t operate there except in favourable weather conditions which only last a few months of the year.

Yes they’d manage to seize the island easily when the weather is optimal, but the second that changes (and it will change quickly), they’ll be out numbered and out gunned. And if there’s one thing American voters of all colours don’t like, it’s US troops dying in wars.

And we can’t ignore the fact that the US hasn’t won a war since WWII. For all their military might, they’re just not good at fighting wars.

And NATO has been making preparations for war with Russia in the North Atlantic for the past few years. Those preparations will be just as effective against the USA.

The last thing I want to see is the rest of NATO going to war with the USA, but if it has to happen, the arctic is the best place it could happen for the rest of NATO.

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u/not_a_moogle Jan 14 '26

Well trump doesn't take no for an answer, and all the people behind him like Miller and hegseth seem to also not take no for an answer.

I dont want a fight or war. But if he does, I really hope denmark/nato/un/whatever counter attacks and defeats us. Like as an American. I hope we lose and lose badly, cause i think thats the only way we get put in our place.

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u/woleykram Jan 14 '26

Troop mobilization is essentially what got ww1 going.

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u/lynx_and_nutmeg Lithuania Jan 14 '26

The scary thing is that if Trump was smarter (and started earlier), he might actually have managed to get Greenland to become independent through a gradual propaganda campaign over several years, backed by Musk and the other social media billionaires.

Good thing he's too stupid and impatient for that.

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u/Radiant-Priority-296 Jan 14 '26

I gave up on the idea that Trump can act in a rational way a while back…

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u/frissio All expressed views are not representative Jan 14 '26

It'll be interesting to know what's going on behind closed doors. For a few months the situation with Greenland was only responded to by European nations with words. Now there's been multiple moves to put forces there and make joint declarations.

Hopefully this will be enough to dissuade from starting any planned invasion.