'US homeland' now includes Greenland after major shakeup by Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken action to have Greenland declared part of the "U.S. homeland" to be defended by American forces, according to a report in Military Times.

The Pentagon announced Tuesday that it was shifting responsibility for Greenland from U.S. European Command to U.S. Northern Command, with the Department of Defense framing "the revision as part of a broader review of its Unified Command Plan, which divides the world into separate military units and outlines the roles and responsibilities of U.S. combatant commands," Military Times reported.

The U.S.-run Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland "is one of the most strategically important military sites in the world," according to The New York Times.

Since retaking office in January, President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex the Danish territory in the name of national security. “One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” Trump said of Greenland during a March speech before a joint session of Congress.

In a statement, a Pentagon spokesperson claimed, "[This] change will strengthen the Joint Force’s ability to defend the U.S. homeland, contributing to a more robust defense of the western hemisphere and deepening relationships with Arctic allies and partners."

The report claimed, "The Pentagon announcement didn’t mention any intent to annex the territory, and the president didn’t immediately suggest such a choice was possible Tuesday." However, the publication noted that "while testifying before the House last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to rule out that the U.S. may use force to take Greenland, even when encouraged by a fellow Republican to clarify earlier remarks."

The report quoted Hegseth as saying, “I think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for anything,” as a way of "suggesting the military has prepared for the possibility of seizing the territory."

Read the Military Times article here.