Is a U.S. Attack on Greenland a Real Option – and Would American Soldiers Refuse?

From time to time, the idea resurfaces that the United States might try to take control of Greenland by force. It sounds dramatic, almost cinematic, but when you look at the political, legal, and military realities, the scenario quickly falls apart.

First, Greenland is not some unclaimed Arctic rock. It is an autonomous territory within the Denmark, and Denmark is a founding member of NATO. A U.S. military attack on Greenland would therefore mean an attack on a NATO ally. That alone makes the idea close to unthinkable. NATO’s collective defense principle exists precisely to prevent such conflicts between allies, not to enable them.

Yes, the United States has long had strategic interests in Greenland. The Thule Air Base (now Pituffik Space Base) already gives the U.S. military a critical foothold for missile defense and Arctic surveillance. Importantly, this presence exists with Danish and Greenlandic consent. From Washington’s point of view, there is no strategic gain in turning cooperation into open conflict.

Then there is the question of legality. Any military action without a clear defensive justification would be widely seen as illegal under international law. The political backlash—both globally and domestically—would be immense. Congress, courts, allies, and the public would all be involved, and not quietly.

That leads to the second part of the question: would American soldiers refuse to take part? U.S. service members are bound to follow lawful orders. However, they also have a duty to refuse unlawful ones. An order to attack an allied, non-hostile territory would raise immediate red flags throughout the chain of command. In practice, such an order would almost certainly be challenged, delayed, or blocked long before it ever reached ordinary soldiers.

Historically, U.S. troops do not operate as free agents deciding foreign policy, but neither are they mindless automatons. The military justice system, internal legal advisers, and senior officers all act as brakes on clearly unlawful actions.

In short, a U.S. attack on Greenland is not a serious or realistic option. It belongs more to speculative headlines and online debates than to the real world of international politics and military decision-making.