US Orders Intelligence Agencies to Step Up Spying on Greenland

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has intensified its intelligence-gathering operations in Greenland, in alignment with US President Donald Trump’s push to bring the Arctic territory under US control, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

As reported by WSJ, top officials under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a "collection emphasis message" last week, directing US intelligence agencies to focus on Greenland’s independence movement and local attitudes toward American resource extraction.

The classified directive, shared with the CIA, NSA, and DIA, instructs agencies to identify individuals in Greenland and Denmark who support US objectives for the island. 

The WSJ notes this marks one of the first tangible intelligence initiatives in support of Trump’s ambition to acquire Greenland, through purchase, annexation, or potentially force.

The WSJ describes the collection emphasis message as a tool to guide intelligence priorities and redirect resources to targets of strategic concern. 

The order signifies a shift in US intelligence posture toward the Arctic, where Washington’s interest has largely been limited in the past.

Historically, Greenland, home to about 56,000 people, has not been a focal point of US intelligence. 

A former US intelligence official told the WSJ that "resources are inherently limited" and typically reserved for perceived threats, not allied nations.

ames Hewitt, spokesperson for the National Security Council, declined to comment on intelligence matters but said, "The president has been very clear that the US is concerned about the security of Greenland and the Arctic," as quoted by the WSJ.