President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered elite U.S. military commanders to begin drawing up plans for a possible invasion of Greenland, a move that has alarmed allies and sparked resistance from senior American military leaders, according to a report by The Mail on Sunday.
Sources familiar with internal discussions said Trump has asked the Joint Special Operations Command to prepare contingency plans to seize the Arctic territory, which is a semiautonomous region of Denmark and a NATO ally.
The push is being driven by hardline advisers inside the White House who believe the U.S. must act quickly to prevent Russia or China from gaining influence over the strategically critical island.
Those advisers are said to be emboldened by the recent U.S. operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, which they view as proof that bold action can succeed.
Stephen Miller, a senior political adviser to Trump, is described by diplomats as a leading voice behind the aggressive posture toward Greenland.
British diplomatic sources believe Trump may also be motivated by domestic politics, viewing a dramatic foreign policy move as a way to divert attention from economic concerns ahead of the midterm elections.
Such a move would immediately place Trump on a collision course with key allies, including the U.K., and could trigger the effective collapse of NATO.
According to the report, senior U.S. generals have pushed back strongly, warning that any invasion of Greenland would be illegal under international law and would not be authorized by Congress.
One source said military leaders have attempted to redirect Trump toward less explosive options, including intercepting Russian ghost ships used to evade sanctions or launching strikes on Iran.
European diplomats have reportedly war-gamed several scenarios, including one in which Trump uses military force or political pressure to sever Greenland’s ties to Denmark, per the Daily Mail.
A leaked diplomatic cable described a worst-case outcome as leading to the destruction of NATO from within.
The cable suggested some European officials believe forcing a crisis over Greenland could be a deliberate strategy to weaken or end the alliance altogether.
Since Trump cannot unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from NATO without Congress, occupying Greenland could pressure European nations to abandon the alliance themselves.
Under a so-called compromise scenario, Denmark would agree to formalize full U.S. military access to Greenland while denying access to Russia and China.
While the U.S. already has broad access to Greenland, the agreement would place that access on a stronger legal footing.
The cable noted Trump could begin with aggressive threats before pivoting to a negotiated outcome for domestic political gain.
European officials reportedly believe the window for action is closing as the midterms approach, making the upcoming NATO summit in July a likely flashpoint.
The document concluded that the most extreme pressure is coming from Trump’s inner circle rather than the broader U.S. government.
