European Troops on Greenland
Greenland is no longer sitting quietly on the edge of the map. It has entered political circulation. And it will not leave it quickly.
The idea of European military presence on Greenland is no longer hypothetical. It came up in a concrete form during the latest meeting of the coalition of the willing. Keir Starmer raised it directly and is trying to pull Emmanuel Macron into the conversation. This was not background noise. It was intentional.
From London’s point of view, this is not about training photos or political messaging. It is about presence. A permanent British footprint would change how the United Kingdom positions itself in the Arctic. Greenland is being treated less as a distant territory and more as part of a real security space. Routes matter. Access matters. Infrastructure matters. Involving France would add weight and make it harder to dismiss.
At the same time, another option was also discussed. Multinational exercises. Several European states. Rotational deployments. Limited duration. A much softer model. Easier politically. Easier logistically. And, in reality, far more achievable than a standing deployment.
Because capability is the constraint. Not politics and not declarations; it is rather capability. Many European countries may be closer to London and Paris than to Washington, but that does not give them Arctic lift, sustainment or equipment. Greenland is hard. Logistics are thin. Experience is limited. Even if exercises go ahead, the group will be small. Some will want to join. Few will be able.
