Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused Thursday to answer a simple question about the Trump administration’s plans for Greenland, implying that the U.S. military has drawn up plans to take the country by force.
While testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Representative Mike Turner gave Hegseth the opportunity to clarify the Trump administration’s position on taking military action to acquire Greenland—but the secretary refused to deny rumors of a potential invasion.
“While you’re here, I just want to help you out because people try to twist your words,” said Turner. “You are not confirming in your testimony today that at the Pentagon there are plans for invading or taking by force Greenland, correct? That is not your testimony today?”
“All my testimony is, is that the Pentagon has plans for any number of contingencies,” Hegseth replied simply.
“It is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland?” Turner asked, sounding incredulous. “Cause I sure as hell hope that it is not your testimony—”
“We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threat,” Hegseth responded, still giving no clear answer.
Turner yielded his time back to the chair.
Hegseth’s position should only come as a surprise to those who still wish to believe that Trump is kidding about his fantasies of annexing the massive mineral-rich Arctic island, which the president has claimed the U.S. absolutely needs to wrest from Denmark’s control in order to establish “international peace.”
But to the hammer Hegseth and his so-called “warrior ethos,” every problem seems to be a nail, and every acquisition, a potential invasion. The Trump administration also previously asked the U.S. military to draw up options for retaking the Panama Canal, and Trump has said he wouldn’t rule out the use of military force to seize Greenland.
Hegseth’s revelation also comes just hours after the Danish government approved the construction of U.S. military bases on Danish soil. The Trump administration is also planning to move Greenland under the protection of its U.S. Northern Command, rather than the U.S. European Command—a symbolic change to incorporate the Danish territory.
The White House also has plans to conduct an expensive public relations campaign, to convince Greenlanders that they actually want to be Americans.
The post Hegseth All but Confirms Trump Plans to Take Greenland by Force appeared first on New Republic.
