Radar Territory: Pentagon Subordinates Greenland to US Armed Forces

The Pentagon's decision to hand over control of Greenland to the U.S. Northern Command is consistent with President Donald Trump's pledge to take control of the autonomous Danish territory, Politico reports.

The Pentagon is handing over control of Greenland to the U.S. National Command Authority, a symbolic gesture that will further tie the island's territory to U.S. territory as President Donald Trump continues to show interest in asserting control over Arctic landmasses.

The change in command will also help the US expand its Golden Dome missile defense shield by increasing the number of radars covering the new territory.

The plan would see Greenland transferred from European Command to Northern Command, which oversees North American security, according to documents from Defense Department officials seen by The Washington Post ahead of publication.

Greenland’s inclusion in Northcom will be closely scrutinized in Denmark and across NATO, which has been unsettled by Trump’s months-long campaign to seize control of the island and his refusal to rule out military action to seize the territory. Denmark and the semi-autonomous Faroe Islands will remain under European Command, creating a symbolic operational rift between those territories and Greenland.

The move is the most concrete step in the Trump administration’s months-long effort to gain ownership of Greenland, an autonomous island linked to Denmark. Trump briefly mentioned buying Greenland during his first term but has talked about it repeatedly since winning election last November, alarming the island’s 58 residents and frustrating the Danish government, which has said it has no interest in selling.