Trump orders espionage campaign against Greenland

The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. intelligence agencies have been instructed to intensify surveillance in Greenland, marking a serious escalation in President Donald Trump’s long-running campaign to assert American control over the island. The move follows recent comments in which Trump declined to rule out using military force to take the territory, calling the NATO country critical to national security.

• A classified “collection emphasis message” was sent to the CIA, NSA, DIA and other agencies, elevating Greenland as a surveillance priority.
• The directive instructs analysts to identify individuals in Greenland and Denmark who support U.S. strategic interests, especially around autonomy and resource access.
• Agencies were also ordered to monitor Greenland’s independence movement and public opinion on U.S. involvement in mining and infrastructure development.
• The move represents one of the first concrete policy steps behind Trump’s proposal to acquire Greenland, floated during his presidency and reiterated this year.
• Greenland is rich in rare-earth minerals and untapped fossil fuel reserves, and sits at the crossroads of key Arctic shipping and communications routes.
• Danish and Greenlandic officials declined to comment on the report. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard condemned the leak and accused the WSJ of “undermining national security.”