High-ranking U.S. intelligence officials directed agencies to gather information on Greenland last week as part of President Trump’s determined effort to acquire the mineral-rich Arctic island.
Several high-ranking officials under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a classified “collection emphasis message” to intelligence agency heads last week, instructing them to acquire intel regarding Greenland’s independence movement and identify people supportive of U.S. objectives, top officials told The Wall Street Journal.
A “collection emphasis message” indicates a high priority objective for intelligence agencies, whose collection resources include surveillance satellites, intercepting electronic communications, and even agents on the ground.
Gabbard gave tacit confirmation of the directive’s existence in a statement admonishing the WSJ, writing: “The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information. They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy.”
The classified directive, sent to the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and National Security Agency, marks one of the first tangible moves toward carrying out President Trump’s desire to acquire the mineral-rich, geopolitically significant territory.
National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt declined to comment on the leaked intelligence, but did state, “The president has been very clear that the U.S. is concerned about the security of Greenland and the Arctic.”
“We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” President Trump stated during a March joint address to Congress. “One way or the other, we’re going to get it.”
Vice President JD Vance, then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to Greenland in March, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to complain of “completely unacceptable pressure on Greenland.”
The approximately 836,000 square mile territory is estimated to hold roughly a quarter of the world’s rare-earth minerals necessary for various technologies, along with an estimated 17.5 billion undiscovered barrels of oil and 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that could strengthen American energy independence.
The intelligence directive comes as the Arctic has become an increasingly contested geopolitical arena, with China declaring itself a “near-Arctic state” and Russia expanding its military presence in the region.
Moscow has reopened Soviet-era Arctic bases and deployed nuclear-capable missiles to its northern territories, while Beijing has invested billions in Arctic infrastructure projects, including attempts to finance airports in Greenland that were ultimately blocked by Denmark with U.S. support.
Danish officials have repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s interest in acquiring the island, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen saying in February: “Greenland is today a part of the kingdom of Denmark. It is part of our territory, and it’s not for sale.”
However, some Greenlandic independence advocates have expressed increasing openness to stronger ties with the United States in recent months.
One resident told the New York Post in March, “I think we need change here in Greenland. We are tired of the Danish colonialism,” said Lars Kleist, a Greenlandic Inuit who said he lost his job in 2020 because of his pro-independence views. “When you enter the town, everything is ruled by the Danish,” who are only 10% of the population.
As such, the intelligence directive specifically instructed agencies to assess Greenland’s political landscape and identify local leaders who might be receptive to American overtures, according to sources familiar with the order.
