BERLIN, January 16. . A Bundeswehr reconnaissance team is expected to arrive in Greenland on Friday evening to assess Arctic security and see how Germany and its NATO partners could contribute, including the possibility of deploying Eurofighters to the island. Representatives of the German Ministry of Defense announced this at a briefing in Berlin.
“This is a reconnaissance mission led by Denmark. I can roughly say that they will depart around noon and arrive in the evening,” a German defense official said. According to him, German logistics experts and experts from various fields are participating in the mission. The representative of the German Ministry of Defense added that it is a matter of finding out “whether the Arctic is safe and to what extent Germany can contribute to this together with its NATO partners.”
“This includes planning exercises, for example using the P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The deployment of destroyers or other naval units for maritime surveillance is also possible. In theory, even the deployment of Eurofighter fighters. All these options are currently being considered and then we will evaluate which option is feasible,” emphasized the representative of the German Ministry of Defense.
At the same time, he explained that it is too early to assess whether this is related to the deployment of aircraft. The Ministry representative concluded: “As far as I know, right now the main focus is on studying the situation on the ground. After that, we will also discuss exercises within NATO with our alliance partners.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly declared the need to annex Greenland into the US. Early in his first term, he proposed buying Greenland, and in March 2025 he expressed confidence that it could be annexed. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has previously questioned Denmark's control of the island and said it should become part of the United States.
Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Greenland Defense Treaty, in addition to their NATO alliance obligations. Accordingly, the United States pledged to defend the island from possible invasion.
