How Greenland Would Be Invaded
Less why or what, and more how.
We are in uncharted waters. As soon as tomorrow, the United States of America could launch a military operation against the Kingdom of Denmark, forcibly seizing and annexing the island-continent of Greenland in a single swoop. This despite the fact that Denmark and America are both treaty allies, despite the fact that Denmark already allows US Armed Forces full access to all of Greenland, despite the fact that doing so would rupture the US-led NATO alliance and see European hostility against America for decades to come, ending our hegemonic power once and for all.
Despite all those facts, we are poised to launch such a ruinous invasion. And so now all that is left for us is to attempt to predict how it will look like. For to take Greenland forcibly will require real manpower, real men with real guns moving into real cities and real buildings, killing or detaining native Greenlanders and others who stand in their way. The only other possible alternative, where Denmark accepts a sale of Greenland, is impossible to countenance.
In the very brassest of tacks, Greenland is worth hundreds of billions if not trillions of current US dollars, most of it locked up behind glacial ice that will take a century or more to melt, and would further require massive resource extraction and mining infrastructure to get at. Therefore, whatever Denmark will get for Greenland today will pale in comparison from the revenues they will be able to extract from the territory in a century or so. And, crucially for Denmark, their tiny economy literally would not be able to handle the influx of so many dollars without either triggering social revolution or economic collapse.
Therefore, Denmark won’t sell and therefore, we must turn to the military solutions and possible outcomes. It should be noted that the Pentagon is now using Grok to plan military operations and thus, it is possible to peek at potential US military war plans using Grok ourselves (as well as a modicum of common sense, of course!). Thus combined with basic knowledge of Greenland, military operations, and boostered by the Pentagon’s child-undressing Skynet, here is the basic outline of how the US will seize Greenland.
Timetable
D-7 (seven days to invasion): diplomatic rhetoric escalates. Supplies (fuel, ammo, medical kits, blood supplies) are airlifted to Thule Air Base, a US Space Force Base already owned and operated by America. Thule will serve as the forward operating base for this operation.
D-1: NOTAM No Fly Zone declared over Greenland.
D+0: airborne and submarine insertion of special operations teams to seize Nuuk (Greenland’s capital), specifically: the government buildings (police station, government HQ, etc.) as well as Nuuk’s airport and port. See below under next section for full list. Cyber ops to take out communications, while air support from Thule disables Danish and Sirius Patrol units.
D+1 to D+3: Kangerlussuaq airport and eastern settlements of Greenland seized. Local officials pressured to cooperate.
D+3 to ongoing: Engineering units conduct local repairs, small garrison (up to 5000 men at a time) to conduct counter-insurgency operations and stay behind to govern.
Units to be Deployed
Special Operations Forces: JSOC units like Delta Force and DEVGRU would handle sensitive targets in Nuuk, with support from Army Rangers and Marines.
Airborne infantry: 11th Airborne Division (“Arctic Angels”), trained for cold weather operations, will conduct C-130 airplane drops over Greenland airbases. Expect one or two Brigade level forces to be involved (1000 men each).
Marine Corps: Likely to provide fire support with HIMARs systems and for defensive operations.
Air Force: Aggressor Squadron of F-16s from Eielson AFB, Alaska will provide air superiority with C-17s providing logistics from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
Navy: Virginia-class submarines will allow for covert insertions, and Arleigh Burke destroyers to provide offshore fire support.
Support: Army Corps of Engineers will be busy repairing runways and bases.
Key Targets in Greenland
If the United States wants to “own” Greenland, here are the buildings they need to take and own.
Nuuk Center Tower. It’s the largest building in Greenland and houses Greenland’s executive government. An aerial insertion by helicopters and a ground insertion would allow US forces to quickly overwhelm defenders.
Nuuk International Airport. This is an obvious target, and could be seized using perfidy or paratroopers.
Denmark’s High Commissioner’s Office, in Nuuk. This is the official government building Denmark has that officially represents their suzerainty over Greenland. The High Commissioner may or may not be home when US forces strike.
Inatsisartut Parliament Building. Greenland’s Parliament, located in Nuuk.
Joint Arctic Command HQ. Located in Nuuk’s Back Harbor, this is a Danish-operated building that will likely be the hub of Denmark’s official military response to an invasion.
Nuuk Port Authority. This building handles all incoming and outgoing transit of goods in Greenland.
Kangerlussuaq airport. While far away from Nuuk, as an operational airfield, it absolutely must be seized.
Greenland’s public radio station, located in Nuuk. Must be taken on Day 1.
Nuuk police department. Seizing it will disrupt defensive operations.
The US may take more, the US may take less. The US may choose not to attack at all, but if they do: they will attempt to seize all the above buildings by force, as well as key roadways and junctions.
Is this war?
The fact that this operation can be concluded in 72 hours means that Denmark and NATO will not have time to respond militarily, other than France utilizing nuclear warheads. Considering that France won’t do that for obvious reasons, this means that beyond the death of the NATO alliance and US hegemony, this singular act may not lead to world war.
Or it may. Either way, be prepared for the inevitable.