- US F-16s flew to Greenland for force posturing after Russian aircraft were detected in the Arctic.
- The US and Greenland continue their standard agreement for presence in the Arctic region.
- Tensions are high as President Trump continues pressing his desire to buy Greenland.
US F-16 fighter jets flew to Greenland earlier this week, highlighting the vast autonomous territory’s long-standing role in supporting North American defense, even as the new administration complicates matters with new landgrab ambitions.
Right now is an unusually tense time between the US and Denmark, a longtime American ally, as President Donald Trump continues to push forward on ambitions to acquire Greenland. His newly confirmed secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says he’s serious.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command confirmed Thursday that it monitored the activity of multiple Russian military aircraft in the Arctic earlier this week. The aircraft remained in international airspace and weren’t seen as a threat, but as part of its defense mission, NORAD regularly scrambles patrol aircraft to monitor these situations.
Two patrols — one from the Canadian NORAD region and the other from the Alaskan NORAD region — were dispatched to track the activity. The Canadian patrol consisted of two Canadian CF-18s and KC-135 refueling aircraft, while the Alaskan patrol included two American F-35s, one E-3, and two KC-135 refueling aircraft.
Several hours after those patrols, NORAD “sent two F-16s from Alaska to Greenland exercising its standard agreement with Greenland to forward posture NORAD presence in the activity.” The command said that the dispatch was not in response to any current threat.
Aircraft with the bilateral NORAD command regularly deploy to Pituffik Space Base on the western tip of northern Greenland. NORAD Public Affairs said that these aircraft “support various long planned NORAD activities with our allies and partners, building on the longstanding defense cooperation between the US, Canada, and the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The routine activity highlights that Greenland isn’t simply land; it is part of a strategic partnership.
In recent months, President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in a US acquisition of Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory. He has called the island, which is rich in natural resources, an “absolutely necessity” and has even suggested using force or coercion to bring it under US control.
Trump’s comments on Greenland have been met with a wide range of responses and confusion, especially with Greenlanders and US partners in Europe, but on Thursday, the newly sworn-in US secretary of state, Rubio, said on The Megyn Kelly Show on SiriusXM that Trump’s desire to acquire the island is “not a joke.”
He said “this is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest, and it needs to be solved.”
Beyond its natural resources, Greenland is also primely located in an area of growing strategic competition: the Arctic. It could support the US force posture in the Arctic, making it easier to monitor and counter China and Russia’s ambitions in the region. China is a critical factor in Trump’s attitude on the Panama Canal, as well.
In response to Rubio’s remarks on Trump’s ambitions, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Friday, “I would be more surprised if he said it was a joke,” per Danish public broadcaster TV2. “We have no interest in selling Greenland to the US, it will not happen.”
