Pentagon says it has no plans to take Greenland by force

Pentagon officials said Wednesday the military agency has no plans to take Greenland by force if called to do so.

Reporters asked Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh if such plans existed.

"I'm certainly not going to get into hypothetical situations. I think that's for the incoming administration to speak to," Singh said. "We're concerned with the real national security concerns that confront this building every day."

She pointed to ongoing work to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia and efforts to reduce conflicts in the Middle East.

When pressed on if the Pentagon had ever outlined a plan for Greenland, Singh said she was not aware of any such plans.

"I'm not aware of any plans to do that," she said.

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. economic security depends on controlling Greenland and the Panama Canal. Trump's comments came the same day his son, Don Jr., landed on the sparsely populated arctic island.

As Trump prepares to return to the White House for a second term, he again brought up the idea of buying or otherwise taking control of the autonomous territory, which is part of Denmark.

In addition to Greenland, Trump said the U.S. should control the Panama Canal and offered to allow Canada to join the nation. He later posted a mock map that showed the U.S. flag over both countries with the caption "Oh Canada."

Trump told reporters during a news conference Tuesday that he wouldn't rule out military intervention or economic penalties to achieve his goals.

"I can't assure you, you're talking about Panama and Greenland," Trump told reporters during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this – we need them for economic security."

Greenland, where about 57,000 people live, is a fully autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland's economy is dependent on Danish subsidies and fishing.

In 1867, when President Andrew Johnson bought Alaska, he also considered buying Greenland. The U.S. also tried to buy Greenland in 1946. The United States proposed to pay Denmark $100 million in gold to buy Greenland, according to documents in the National Archives. The sale never went through, but the U.S. got the military base it wanted on the island.

Pituffik Space Base, previously known as Thule Air Base, is located in Greenland. Pituffik SB is locked in by ice nine months out of the year, but the airfield is open and operated year round. Pituffik exists due to agreements between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Denmark, specifically addressing mutual defense, according to Space Force.