US trained 'Arctic Angels' unit to invade Greenland, but deployed it to Minnesota: Danish MP

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK: Danish politician Rasmus Jarlov on Monday, January 26, amplified an analysis that claims that the US had been training troops to invade Greenland for a year.

Jarlov, the Chairman of Denmark's Defence Committee and the Folketing for the Conservative People's Party took to X to post that a “USA Arctic paratrooper unit seems to have been training for a year to take Greenland.”

He further mentioned that the unit was put on standby last week to instead be deployed to Minnesota.

US trained 12,000 troops for Greenland takeover: Expert

Jarlov’s post was based on a January 5 analysis by security expert Jens Marquard Sørensen. 

Sørensen, who has reportedly served in the Danish and Norwegian security forces, wrote in a LinkedIn article that the US was preparing the 11th Airborne Division for a potential invasion of Greenland. 

“America has trained and equipped an elite Arctic unit of 12,000 airborne soldiers,” he wrote.

The post highlighted the January 2025 Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 25-02 exercises in Alaska as a key indicator. 

These drills, Sørensen wrote, reportedly simulated capturing a strategic Arctic airport without allied support, followed by flying in troops and equipment to quickly take control of government buildings.

“The US approach involves parachuting troops into hostile territory in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius,” he stated, before adding that these conditions are comparable to “the harshest winters in western Greenland”.

It is interesting to note that the US Army also reported on building the capabilities of the 11th Airborne Division, known as the “Arctic Angels”, in Alaska during JPMRC. 

Sørensen’s analysis further presented the scale of the exercise and subsequent procurement of Arctic-specific equipment (including Swedish vehicles and Nordic tactics) as signs of preparation.

He concluded that the US is close to having both the capability and capacity to seize Greenland, possibly as early as winter 2025–26, if the political decision is made.

However, we could not independently verify if the JPMRC and following training of Arctic Angels had been geared towards Greenland in specific.

‘Arctic Angels’ prepared to handle Minnesota anti-ICE protests

In the three weeks following the publication of Sørensen’s analysis, US President Trump has drastically changed his stance on Greenland.  

The Republican leader has publicly said he would not use military force to acquire the island territory. 

He did this after announcing a Greenland “framework” with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

Talk of an outright US plan for annexation of Greenland has faded following that announcement. 

It also appears that since then, handling the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests in Minnesota have become the priority for Arctic Angels.

According to multiple media reports, the Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota.

Officials confirmed to AP that two infantry battalions of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division had been given prepare-to-deploy orders.

Put together, it appears that the Arctic Angels, reportedly in training for over a year to invade icy Greenland, were redirected to handle the situation in Minnesota (which also sees harsh winters).