The Pentagon is redrawing its military combatant command responsible for defending the U.S. homeland to include Greenland as the Trump administration signals it wants control of the Danish territory.
“[This] change will strengthen the Joint Force’s ability to defend the U.S. homeland, contributing to a more robust defense of the western hemisphere and deepening relationships with Arctic allies and partners,” the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson wrote in a statement Tuesday.
The adjustment will shift responsibility for Greenland from U.S. European Command to U.S. Northern Command. In its announcement, the Pentagon framed the revision as part of a broader review of its Unified Command Plan, which divides the world into separate military units and outlines the roles and responsibilities of U.S. combatant commands.
No other changes to the Unified Command Plan were included in the announcement.
“Aligning Greenland with NORTHCOM will mean that it is treated not as an outpost, but as a cornerstone of U.S. security posture in the High North,” Iris Ferguson, a former Pentagon official focused on the Arctic, wrote in an email.
That said, Ferguson warned that the shift risked alienating European allies and that Denmark shouldn’t be “sidelined” amid the realignment.
European officials had anticipated the change for weeks, which multiple outlets had reported ahead of Tuesday’s announcement. Their concern was less about the shift itself, given that Greenland sits close to the U.S. homeland, than how the administration would announce it.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. should control the territory, now a semiautonomous part of Denmark.
“One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” Trump said during a March speech before Congress.
The Pentagon announcement didn’t mention any intent to annex the territory, and the president didn’t immediately suggest such a choice was possible Tuesday, likely assuaging some Europeans’ concerns.
Still, while testifying before the House last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to rule out that the U.S. may use force to take Greenland, even when encouraged by a fellow Republican to clarify earlier remarks.
“I think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for anything,” Hegseth said, suggesting the military has prepared for the possibility of seizing the territory.
Democrats on the committee scoffed at his remarks.
“I don’t think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland,” said committee ranking member, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.
This story has been updated with commentary from a former Pentagon official.
Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.
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