DEEP in the Arctic wilderness, where temperatures plummet to -40°C and daylight is fleeting, an elite unit of Danish special forces is training for war.
Their mission: to defend Greenland – the vast, ice-clad territory that Donald Trump is eyeing for a potential land grab.
WikipediaDenmark’s special forces are sharpening their skills for a potential Greenland invasion[/caption]
AlamyA Danish Special Operator trains in Utqiagvik, Alaska[/caption]
WikipediaDenmark’s forces are specialists in reconnaissance, sabotage and high-risk missions behind enemy lines[/caption]
AlamyDanish and US Special Operation Forces seen training together in Greenland last year[/caption]
The topic remains a geopolitical hotbed in light of the US President’s continued rhetoric.
In his address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump said that Greenland’s people had a “choice” in determining their future.
But with his trademark boldness, he still vowed to acquire the island “one way or another”.
While the US leader‘s intentions are brewing in Washington, Denmark isn’t taking any chances.
There are real fears the issue could escalate into a US power play over the Arctic, so Danish special forces are watching closely.
Its toughest soldiers – the Jaeger Corps, Frogmen, and the legendary Sirius Dog Sled Patrol – are sharpening their skills for any scenario, from counter-terrorism to extreme weather warfare.
With Greenland sitting on a trove of rare earth minerals and occupying a key strategic position between North America and Europe, the stakes have never been higher.
And while Denmark’s special forces train for combat, one thing is clear: if anyone tries to take Greenland by force, they’ll be ready.
Kristian Kristensen, a senior researcher at the Center for Military Studies at the University of Copenhagen, said: “They’re versatile and able to operate almost anywhere, from the Arctic to the Gulf of Guinea.”
Elite huntsmen
Modelled after the British SAS and US Rangers, the Jaeger Corps – translated as the Huntsmen – are specialists in reconnaissance, sabotage, and high-risk missions behind enemy lines.
Their training is absolutely brutal.
Before even reaching the final selection phase, recruits endure months of punishing courses in land navigation, weapons handling, and survival tactics.
Only a handful make the cut each year.
For the Jaegers, Greenland’s frozen tundra isn’t just a training ground – it’s a potential battlefield.
They prepare for every possible mission, even those they hope to never carry out.
“They’re an elite force within the Danish military that can be deployed on special missions in extreme conditions,” Kristensen explained.
Jaegers train to parachute into Arctic storms, operate in total darkness, and survive on minimal rations for weeks.
They’re taught to build emergency shelters in the snow and keep weapons operational in sub-zero temperatures.
During past operations, they’ve infiltrated enemy positions undetected and neutralised high-value targets.
In Greenland, their mission could one day include stopping unauthorised foreign incursions — or defending against something far bigger.
With Trump’s rising interest in Greenland’s strategic location, those missions could soon include defending against hostile incursions – military or otherwise.
Arctic SEALs
If the Jaegers are Denmark‘s answer to the SAS, the Frogmen are its Navy SEALs.
These elite maritime commandos specialise in underwater sabotage, amphibious assaults, and hostage rescue operations.
Founded in 1957, the unit has operated across the globe, from intercepting Somali pirates to secretive intelligence missions.
BelzoDenmark’s Frogmen Corps is modelled after the UK Royal Navy’s Special Boat Service[/caption]
AlamyDenmark’s forces are renown for being able to operate almost anywhere, from the Arctic to the Gulf of Guinea[/caption]
In Greenland, the Frogmen train to operate in frigid waters where survival time can be measured in minutes.
They conduct stealth insertions under the ice, rehearse amphibious landings on frozen shores, and practice destroying enemy infrastructure in temperatures that would cripple most troops.
Kristensen highlighted a little-known operation where the Frogmen were deployed in the Arctic — not for military action, but to de-escalate tensions during environmental protests.
Denmark’s special forces have previously been called upon to respond to incidents in Greenland, including environmental protests against Faroese whalers.
“One instance where Danish special forces have been engaged in the Arctic is that some years ago, there were demonstrations against Faroese fishers catching whales,” Kristensen told The Sun.
“The fishermen were conducting legal activity and these environmental protesters were relatively radical and things could escalate.
“So a Danish presence was necessary, and the Frogmen, for instance, played a role in making sure that that did not escalate.”
But their missions in Greenland could become even more serious.
As ice caps melt and Arctic waters open up new shipping routes, Denmark knows it needs its Frogmen to counter foreign threats in the region.
Warriors of the ice
Denmark’s Sirius Dog Sled Patrol might be the country’s most unconventional special forces unit.
Armed with rifles, survival gear, and teams of hardened sled dogs, these two-man patrols cover thousands of miles across Greenland’s desolate, snow-covered territory.
Originally formed during World War II to defend Greenland from German invaders, the Sirius Patrol still monitors Denmark’s Arctic sovereignty.
Their mission remains unchanged: to deter any force that dares to encroach on the icy frontier.
HandoutA Sirius Dog Sled Patrol heads out across the ice in northern Greenland[/caption]
AlamyGreen Berets and Danish Jaeger Corps training in extreme weather conditions during the Arctic Edge 24 joint exercise[/caption]
AP:Associated PressCrown Prince Frederik of Denmark, left, and companion steer a dog sledge while leaving Quaanaaq in February, 2000, on an Arctic expedition[/caption]
Sirius operatives don’t just train for Arctic survival – they live it.
For up to five months at a time, they navigate Greenland’s vast wilderness alone, relying on their dogs, instincts and a lifetime’s worth of resilience.
Even Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik once joined a patrol in 1995, cementing the unit’s legendary status.
Kristensen explained why using dogs can be an advantage for the patrollers.
He said: “That sounds a bit quaint, but it has a very pragmatic reason… when you’re on a month-long patrol on the ice sheet.
“And the other alternative would be a snowmobile.
“If that breaks down, you need a garage to fix it, but a dog sled can be fixed on the go.”
Since the early 1950s, Sirius has ensured that no unauthorized presence goes unnoticed in Greenland’s northeastern wilderness.
“And then, of course, the job of the Sirius Patrol is to survey what happens in the northeastern part of Greenland and if people move there who don’t have permission,” Kristensen said.
“It is the job of the patrol to meet them and say, ‘Hey, you can’t be here.
“Go back or we will ensure that you will be taken care of and brought to a facility where you can be relocated back to your own country.’”
While the Jaeger Corps and Frogmen are similar to NATO and US special forces, the Sirius Patrol is unique to Denmark.
“The Sirius Patrol is specially designated to patrolling the northeastern part of Greenland,” Kristensen noted, underscoring their specific Arctic focus.
Trump’s Greenland gambit
Greenland has become a geopolitical hotspot, with Russia expanding its Arctic military presence and China investing in the region’s rare minerals.
Then there’s Donald Trump, who says the US “will take it”.
“I think we’re going to have it,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One earlier this year, claiming Greenland’s 57,000 residents “want to be with us”.
In the same breath, he cast doubt on Denmark’s right to the territory, calling any refusal to hand it over a “very unfriendly act” and insisting that US control was essential for “the freedom of the world”.
But Denmark isn’t buying it as the country’s ministers quickly dismissed Trump’s remarks.
ReutersPresident Donald Trump said the US will take Greenland[/caption]
AFPThe President reportedly had a fiery 45 minute call with Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen[/caption]
“‘That won’t happen,’” Danish Defence Minister Trouls Lund Poulsen declared, adding that “the direction that Greenland wants to take will be decided by Greenlanders”.
Poulsen’s response echoed the sentiment of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who had famously shut down Trump’s earlier Greenland proposal, stating that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
Greenland’s own PM, Mute Egede, also made clear that decisions about the island’s future were Greenland’s business, the BBC reported.
But Trump isn’t backing off. His comments have sent shockwaves through Copenhagen, triggering emergency meetings among Danish officials.
Kristensen dismissed the idea of the US using military force to take Greenland as absurd.
“I think the idea is so outlandish that the US would use military force,” he said.
“I think that it’s difficult for me to speculate on how that would translate into operational planning.”
Some analysts even joke that, because Greenland is part of NATO, the US would paradoxically have to defend it against itself.
As global powers turn their eyes north, the Danish Huntsmen continue their gruelling preparations.
Whether it’s Jaegers parachuting into Arctic storms, Frogmen surfacing beneath frozen waters, or Sirius patrols braving months of isolation, these elite warriors are sharpening their skills for the battles that may come.
