Danish defence expert warns NATO is in crisis after US pressure over Greenland

A leading Danish NATO researcher has described the alliance as being “in intensive care” following revelations that Denmark prepared for a potential US military threat against Greenland in January, according to an investigation by Danish broadcaster DR.

Professor Sten Rynning, a war studies expert at the University of Southern Denmark, called the situation “the most high-stakes crisis for the Danish Realm since World War II.” His assessment follows DR’s report—based on 12 high-level sources in government, military, and intelligence circles—that Danish troops were urgently deployed to Greenland with live ammunition, explosives, and medical supplies to deter what was perceived as a possible US attack.

While no concrete evidence emerged of US plans to invade, Danish and allied officials treated the scenario as a credible threat, DR’s sources confirmed. Soldiers were ordered to destroy key infrastructure, including airstrips in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, to prevent hostile landings. Blood supplies were also airlifted in anticipation of casualties.

The crisis saw Denmark break from its historic passivity, avoiding a repeat of its unopposed surrender to Nazi Germany in 1940—a national trauma, according to historian Steen Andersen of the Danish National Archives. This time, Denmark activated European alliances, with Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, and the UK rapidly dispatching military support after Copenhagen signaled its intent to resist.

“Denmark did not stand alone,” Andersen noted, contrasting the response with the isolation of 1940. Images released by the Danish Defence Command showed French alpine troops, German soldiers, British aircraft, and a French frigate patrolling Greenlandic waters alongside Danish forces in mid-January.

Rynning warned that the episode exposed deep fractures in NATO, traditionally anchored by US security guarantees since 1949. “The framework for allied cooperation has collapsed,” he said, urging Denmark to forge new partnerships to safeguard its Arctic territories.