Get you up to speed: Denmark prepares military response and stockpiles blood amid US tensions
Danish troops stockpiled blood ahead of a potential confrontation with the US during rising tensions in January 2026. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that Greenland is part of NATO and preparations were made for all possibilities regarding military conflict.
In January 2026, Danish officials disclosed that soldiers stockpiled blood from Danish banks as a precaution against potential US aggression, according to a report by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen emphasised the need for readiness, stating, “it’s not likely there will be a military conflict, but it can’t be ruled out.”
Danish Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that while a military conflict is “not likely,” it cannot be completely ruled out, emphasising the need for readiness amid escalating tensions. King Frederik X recently visited Greenland as part of a three-day official trip, underscoring Denmark’s commitment to its military presence in the region.
Danish military stockpiled blood to treat injuries if US invaded | News World
Denmark sent blood stockpiles with soldiers this past January while facing threats from the US (Picture: EPA)
In January this year, tensions reached a boiling point between Denmark and the United States as Donald Trump demanded access to Greenland.
Now, journalists at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation discovered that Danish troops stockpiled blood ahead of a potential confrontation with the US.
In January, the Prime Minister of Greenland told residents to prepare for a military invasion and flew soldiers to the icy enclave.
But in addition to weapons and explosives, the soldiers took blood from Danish blood banks to have on hand for the worst-case scenario.
Danish government officials, officers and intelligence sources revealed the information and also found plans to blow up airport runways in case of a US invasion.
One source referenced the danger of this past January, telling DR: ‘We had not been in such a situation since April 1940.’
Another added: ‘I grew up during the Cold War, and sometimes I wish I could go back to the relatively stable time when world leaders knew how far they could go without triggering the worst-case scenario.’
Danish F-16s were also stationed in Greenland this January (Picture: EPA)
Earlier this year, Trump threatened to hit the UK and other European nations with 10% tariffs unless they agreed to his purchase of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told a press conference at the time that it was ‘not likely there will be a military conflict, but it can’t be ruled out.’
‘That’s why we must be ready for all possibilities, but let’s emphasise this: Greenland is part of NATO and, if there were to be an escalation, it would also have consequences for the rest of the world,’ he added.
Greenland sits in the Arctic Circle, where world powers, including China and Russia, have been jostling for military control.
And for good reason: Controlling Greenland would give a nation an outpost in a vital naval corridor connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic.
Danish King Frederik visited Denmark’s training base (Picture: EPA)
As climate change melts the icecaps, the once nearly impossible-to-navigate ocean is becoming more spacious, opening up new shipping routes.
Trump has been eyeing up the island since 2019, but he’s not the first president to want it.
The US tried to buy it in 1846 and again in 1946 – for the equivalent of £970million– amid the Cold War.
Under a little-known Cold War agreement, the US built the military base Thule Air Base in a remote corner of Greenland.
Now known as Pituffik Space Base (pronounced bee-doo-feek), the post is home to 150 personnel, who keep an eye out for ballistic missile attacks.
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