Danish troops must open fire — even without direct orders — if invaders try to capture Greenland by force, Denmark’s Defense Ministry said as the US weighs military action to annex the land.
The ministry confirmed Wednesday that soldiers are required to uphold a Cold War-era rule to “immediately take up the fight” against any foreign force threatening Danish territory, local Berlingske reported.
The 1952 directive explicitly states that troops must fight without waiting for commands, even if their leaders are unaware of a formal declaration of war, Denmark’s Defense Command and Ministry told the outlet.
Danish troops were ordered by Denmark’s Defense Ministry to open fire — even without direct orders — if Greenland is invaded. REUTERS
The order was initially created as a result of the Nazi attack on Denmark in 1940, when the country’s communication system partially collapsed and military units were left unsure of how to respond to the invading army.
The order has since remained standing in Denmark, which oversees Greenland and has rejected President Trump’s proposals for the US to purchase or seize the island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen slammed the Trump administration’s latest attempts to claim the island as a US territory, saying an attack on the autonomous territory would mark an end to the NATO defense alliance.
“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,” Frederiksen said on Monday.
The ministry confirmed Wednesday that soldiers are required to uphold a Cold War-era rule to “immediately take up the fight” against any foreign force threatening Danish territory. AP
The Joint Arctic Command, Denmark’s military authority in Greenland, is the agency that would ultimately assess what constitutes an attack on the island.
The warning comes after the White House said Tuesday that the US could use military action to seize Greenland.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since been tasked with meeting with Danish officials to reportedly jumpstart efforts to purchase the island nation.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the US needs Greenland for national security purposes, claiming that the island nation is “covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
Also at play is the existence of the vast, untapped mineral reserves in Greenland that are becoming easier to access as temperatures rise.