Trump wants to take over Greenland.
Just imagine: if necessary in a military action if Denmark and GL do not agree to the sale (the Red Indians in the USA can tell you a thing or two about this kind of purchase).
Wouldn't that trigger the alliance case - an attack on a NATO state? And then what?
Denmark had the highest per capita losses in Afghanistan and Iraq among the troops who fought with US soldiers.
What contempt for a loyal ally, and not only for them.
He allegedly demands 5% for the armaments of NATO partners, he knows that this cannot be achieved and so he could ignore a number of countries.
Would the US generals go along with this if he gave the order???
I would be interested in your opinion on this.
Can you believe what you read?
Foxi
Denmark's contribution to the War in Afghanistan is commendable, and the sacrifices made by their troops should never be forgotten. Article 5 was invoked by President Bush and they answered the call, which is what is expected of a NATO member.
The problem with Denmark being considered a loyal ally however, is that they have not met the bare minimum 2% GDP defense spending since 1990 (
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/dnk/denmark/military-spending-defense-budget .) They aren't alone in this dereliction of duty obviously. Unfortunately, it's the status quo for many NATO members. As of 2023 19 were not meeting the bare minimum standard (
https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2023/7/pdf/230707-def-exp-2023-en.pdf .) There's a reason the required spending is associated with GDP, and not a specific dollar amount. These countries have the ability to spend this money on defense, but refuse to.
In the case of Denmark specifically there was actually a communique put out by the US Embassy where the Ambassador articulated her frustration. Ambassador Sands stated “I love Denmark. I love our alliance. But I must also say that when I was onboard one of your frigates, there were no missiles onboard. If Article 5 is activated (NATO musketeer oath, editor), then Denmark has no missiles onboard. I simply do not understand how Denmark can defend itself or come to the rescue of allies – and that is the point with NATO.” (
https://dk.usembassy.gov/the-u-s-shoots-down-danish-defense-billion-kroner-boost/ )
If Denmark actually meets the bare minimum 2% spending (which they intend to, but apparently not until 2033
https://euromil.org/denmark-increases-its-defense-budget-and-puts-opt-out-from-european- Odefense-to-vote/ ) then congratulations, they've done the absolute bare minimum for the first time since 1990. That doesn't make up for the 35 years that they have refused to. So suggesting the country increase their spending to 5% (perhaps for a couple years) really isn't that farfetched of an idea. Again, its a % of GDP, not a dollar amount.
All Danish citizens enjoy easy access to healthcare, their young go to college for free, their workers get 25 days of paid vacation by law per year, when they have children they get 52 weeks combined paid parental leave between the parents, and I don't know how much stock you put in this.... but they also consistently rank in the top 3 happiest countries in the world (
https://worldhappiness.report/data/ )
If somehow Denmark can't find the funds to increase their defense spending between decreasing the quality of life of their citizens, or using some of their oil revenue, then perhaps they could do what most people do when they get hard up for cash..... sell a few things.
So..... about this place called Greenland?
