Washington, 20 January (H.S.): The United States announced the imminent deployment of North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) aircraft to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on Monday, a move framed as routine yet shadowed by escalating tensions over President Donald Trump's aggressive bid to annex the strategically vital Danish territory.

NORAD emphasized that the aircraft, operating alongside units from continental US and Canadian bases, will underpin various long-planned activities in full coordination with the Kingdom of Denmark and the Government of Greenland, all under requisite diplomatic clearances to bolster enduring defense ties across North America and the Arctic.

This development follows a multinational military exercise spearheaded by Danish forces—joined by Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, the Netherlands, and Finland—which Denmark extended to the US amid Trump's overtures, signaling a concerted European push to safeguard Arctic sovereignty.

Trump intensified his campaign by threatening graduated tariffs on Denmark and select European allies, including the UK: 10 percent effective February 1, 2026, escalating to 25 percent by June 1 absent a Greenland transfer, which he deems imperative for US national security against burgeoning Chinese and Russian encroachments in the resource-rich region.

Citing decades of American patronage, the president declared it time for Denmark to give back, proposing negotiations while underscoring Greenland's pivotal role in shielding North American airspace and countering adversarial polar ambitions.

As NORAD upholds dispersed operations across its Alaska, Canada, and continental US regions, the deployment underscores the Arctic's geostrategic flashpoint status, where melting ice unveils vast minerals, shipping lanes, and military footholds, potentially reshaping transatlantic alliances under Trump's resurgent America First doctrine.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar