Denmark announces major boost to Greenland defense amid Trump threats

A massive increase in defense spending is set to hit Greenland in a move that would allow the Artic territory to fortify its military’s strength.

The announcement came just hours after President-elect Donald Trump again insisted that the United States should acquire the semi-autonomous part of Denmark for purposes of America’s “national security and freedom.”

"We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence," Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said, according to the BBC.

Poulsen described the spending package as being a "double digit billion amount" in krone, or at least $1.5 billion, the publication added. It would give Greenland the ability to purchase two new inspection ships, two new long-range drones and two extra dog sled teams.

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“It would also include funding for increased staffing at Arctic Command in the capital Nuuk and an upgrade for one of Greenland's three main civilian airports to handle F-35 supersonic fighter aircraft,” the BBC reported.

But the plan to heighten Greenland’s military capacity was apparently already in place, even before Trump’s renewed interest in purchasing the island.

Poulsen described the announcement’s timing as an “irony of fate” following the incoming president's eyebrow-raising comment when he announced his pick of Ken Howery as his ambassador to Copenhagen. According to analysts, “the plan has been under discussion for a long time and should not be seen as a direct response to Trump's comments,” the BBC reported.

Trump first floated the idea of purchasing Greenland in 2019, but Denmark and the island’s own officials have both steadfastly rejected the offer and repeated that the territory is "not for sale."