Trump's 'Venezuela-style' naval plan for Greenland is not realistic: Ex-Danish Intel officer
NUUK, GREENLAND: A former Danish intelligence officer has said that any potential plan by President Donald Trump to take Greenland by force similar to actions in Venezuela is not realistic.
Jacob Kaarsbo, a former chief analyst at the Danish Defence Intelligence Service, argued that the US Navy is not prepared for the island's extreme arctic environment.
He said the lack of connectivity and the severe climatic conditions would make any unauthorized landing a "low likelihood of survival".
Expert says US Navy lacks Arctic experience
The officer, explained that Greenland’s natural geography and ice-filled waters give a massive "home turf advantage" to the Danish and Canadian forces defending it.
He notes that the lack of roads and the harsh climate make it one of the most difficult places in the world for an outside military to conquer.
The biggest obstacle for any American naval mission is the thick ice, which the officer says the US Navy lacks the experience to handle.
He said, "Most of the Danish vessels around Greenland can take about 1 meter thick ice and that's actually something that’s substantial. They are all, you know, also prepared for these arctic conditions and to my knowledge that’s not something that’s really prevalent in the US Navy. So from that aspect, it’s not really the scenario that you would imagine the Americans would go through with."
He said that navigating the waters is dangerous because icebergs are much larger than they appear on the surface.
"You can only see the tip of the iceberg really—about 20 cm at most is what you can see and then 80% below. So you have to know about these conditions and that’s extremely tough," he added.
Greenland's roadless terrain aids defense
According to the officer, Greenland’s landscape is what makes it easier for the defenders to defend as there are no roads connecting the towns.
The officer notes that any landing attempt would be easily spotted and defended.
He stated, "It’s only a very few places where you can actually go and have an impact. You can’t just land somewhere on the coast because there’s nothing to connect the coast. So, either you have a boat and go from A to B... or you won't get anywhere.”
He added, “It’s actually a pretty easy landmass to defend and just dropping soldiers off somewhere is not going to lead to anything good other than very harsh conditions and a low likelihood of survival."
While the US has advanced military technology, the officer points out that modern vehicles often break down in the Arctic.
He stated that,"Armored vehicles won't get you... it’ll get us 10 kilometers around Nuuk here, but not further than that. The Danish armed forces here have tried to use skidoos and all kinds and it goes wrong. Dog sleds, good old-fashioned dog sleds, are really the only way that you can get around. It seems old-fashioned and we must be able to do something that is technically more advanced, but it doesn’t work."
