Danish naval officer discusses naval and military outlook in the region

(17 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nuuk, Greenland - 17 January 2026
1. Military ship docked
2. Various of turret
3. Man raising Denmark Flag from ship’s hatch
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, leader of the Joint Arctic Command:
“I actually don’t send any message to the U.S. For me it’s actually about defending Greenland and also defending NATO’s northern flank. The way that we see the world is that when the war in Ukraine is over - hopefully with a good result for Ukraine - we expect that Russia will move some of their capabilities and resources into other theaters. It could be the Baltic Sea region, it could be the North Sea, it could be the Arctic. In order to be ready for that, we simply have to step up, and we have to train that.”
6. Close of Andersen's sleeve with badges
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, leader of the Joint Arctic Command:
“I will not go into the political part but I will say that I would never expect a NATO country to attack another NATO country. For me it’s not about signalling; it is actually about training military units, working together with allies.”
8. Andersen in interview ++JUMP CUT++
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, leader of the Joint Arctic Command:
“I will say that I will never expect a NATO country attacking another NATO country. But you’re right that it is Danish law that a Danish soldier, if attacked, has the obligation to fight back.”
10. Pan of ship
11. Danish flag swaying in front of harbor

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Nuuk, Greenland - 15 January 2026
12. Various of ships patrolling
STORYLINE:
A Danish military official said he does not believe that the U.S. will attack Greenland to take it by force.

“I will say that I will never expect a NATO country attacking another NATO country. But you’re right that it is Danish law that a Danish soldier, if attacked, has the obligation to fight back,” said Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, leader of the Joint Arctic Command, in Nuuk Saturday.

His comments come as President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would charge a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations because of their opposition to American control of Greenland, setting up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe.

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would face the tariff, Trump said in a social media post while at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The rate would climb to 25% on June 1 if no deal was in place for “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the United States, he said.

Andersen said a move to reinforce Danish military on the island, as well as bring in European allies' troops was "not about signaling," strength to the U.S. and purely "about training military units, working together with allies.”

Resistance has steadily built in Europe to Trump's ambitions, even as several countries on the continent agreed to his 15% tariffs last year in order to preserve an economic and security relationship with Washington.

Earlier Saturday, hundreds of people in Greenland's capital braved near-freezing temperatures, rain and icy streets to march in a rally in support of their own self-governance.

AP video shot by: Kwiyeon Ha

===========================================================

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...