The elite ice warriors that are waiting for US forces in Greenland

The conversation around Greenland, the quiet, frozen world's largest island between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, has hotted up. Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous part, and the United States are now staring each other down, thanks to US President Donald Trump's desire to take control of the territory, even if it requires the military.

Copenhagen has treated Trump's demand as a security threat. The Danish forces in Greenland have been ordered to "shoot first and ask questions later" if US troops attempt to land. Trump, in turn, has mocked Greenland's defences, sneering that they amount to "two dogs and a sledge".

But the intent on both sides is clear. If Trump's American troops move into Greenland, which is a sovereign Danish territory, it might not be a walkover as it was in the case of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's capture. Any invasion would be met by Denmark's Arctic warriors, the ice-hardened and elite forces, on par with the UK's SAS and America's Navy SEALs.

Denmark's toughest soldiers — personnel trained to operate at -50 degrees Celsius, dive under frozen waters, and survive for up to six months in extreme Arctic conditions — are guarding the Greenland and sharpening their skills, according to a report in The US Sun.

Around 80% of Greenland is covered by a massive ice sheet, the second-largest in the world after Antarctica. Beneath the ice lie bedrock, subglacial lakes and rivers, and vast reserves of rare earths, oil, gas, and other minerals, with much of the land actually sitting below sea level. (Image: Google Earth)

These include the elite Jaeger Corps, the Frogmen, and the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, units deployed for everything from counter-terrorism to extreme-weather warfare. These are the Danish forces stationed in Greenland, and would be the first to meet any advance by American troops. It is Denmark's Joint Arctic Command that holds full responsibility for the defence and sovereignty of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, another overseas Danish territory.

TRUMP WANTS GREENLAND. UK, GERMANY MULL MORE DEPLOYMENT TO DIVERT TRUMP ATTENTION

Sitting on vast reserves of rare earth minerals and commanding a strategic position between North America and Europe, Greenland has become central to Donald Trump's ambitions. The US President has repeatedly insisted that America must "own" Greenland to prevent Russia and China from gaining a foothold, and has refused to rule out the use of military force to seize the Danish territory.

Washington, Trump has warned, could take Greenland "the easy way or the hard way". This shows how high the stakes have become and how desperate he has become. So, in case it happens the way Trump says, the American forces might just encounter its own forces, who are already stationed at the Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base), under a 1951 defence agreement between the US and Denmark.

Meanwhile, a group of European countries, led by Britain and Germany, is weighing plans to step up their military presence in Greenland, in a bid to signal to Trump that Europe is serious about securing the Arctic, Bloomberg News reported.

So, apart from the US forces stationed at the Pituffik base and any potential European deployments, it is Denmark's Jaeger Corps, Frogmen, and the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol that are currently deployed in Greenland.

WHAT'S JAEGER CORPS, DENMARK'S SAS-STYLE ARCTIC HUNTSMEN

Modelled on Britain's Special Air Service (SAS) and the US Rangers, Denmark's Jaeger Corps, which literally means "Hunters", is its most elite land-based special forces unit.

According to Denmark's Defence Command, the Jaegers specialise in deep reconnaissance, sabotage, and high-risk missions behind enemy lines.

Their training is among the most brutal among all Nato forces.

Recruits undergo months of selection involving extreme navigation, weapons handling, survival drills and sleep deprivation. Only a handful of people make it through each year.

As Kristian Kristensen of the University of Copenhagen's Centre for Military Studies told The US Sun, the Jaegers are "versatile and able to operate almost anywhere, from the Arctic to the Gulf of Guinea".

In the Arctic's frigid conditions, Jaeges train to parachute into blizzards, operate in total darkness, build shelters in snow, and keep weapons functional at sub-zero temperatures.

Greenland's frozen tundra is not just a training ground. It is their home and is a potential battlefield. If an unauthorised foreign force attempts a land incursion, Jaegers would be among the first responders.

An image of Danish army personnel during an exercise. (Image: Denmark Defence)

FROGMEN CORPS, GREENLAND'S UNDER-ICE COMMANDOS

If the Jaegers are Denmark's SAS, the Frogmen Corps is its answer to the US Navy SEALs and the UK's Special Boat Service.

Founded in 1957 and operating under the Danish Navy, the Frogmen specialise in maritime counter-terrorism, underwater demolition, amphibious assaults and covert reconnaissance.

Frogmen train to operate in waters where survival time can be measured in minutes. In Greenland, that means conducting stealth insertions beneath ice sheets, rehearsing landings on frozen coastlines, and sabotaging enemy infrastructure in the freezing cold.

Their relevance has grown as Arctic sea routes open due to melting ice. It has increased the risk of foreign naval or covert activity.

In 2013, Danish Frogmen carried out a high-risk anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Guinea, south of Nigeria. They killed four pirates on a hijacked merchant vessel, recaptured it and freed its crew, without any casualties, according to a report in the Business Insider.

Recruitment includes a gruelling "hell week" that pushes candidates to their absolute physical and mental limits, followed by basic and advanced combat diving, airborne training, small-unit tactics, and land warfare.

Danish sailors training with USS Vella Gulf during counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, in 2009. (Image: US Navy)

In any scenario involving a seaborne or amphibious approach to Greenland, the Frogmen would play a decisive role.

SIRIUS DOG SLED PATROL, GREENLAND'S GUARDIANS OF ARCTIC SOVEREIGNTY

The most unique of Denmark's Arctic forces is the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol. It could arguably be one of the world's most unconventional military units, which in all likelihood, became a subject of Trump's mockery.

Established during World War II to prevent Nazi incursions, Sirius continues to patrol northeastern Greenland, one of the most remote regions on Earth. Dog sleds are not for nostalgia but for necessity.

Operating in two-man teams with rifles, survival gear and dog sleds, Sirius patrols cover thousands of kilometres across ice and wilderness. In those conditions operation the dog sleds are ideal.

The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol is capable of combat operations and has a history of engaging militarily when required. (Image: Denmark Defence)

According to The US Sun and Denmark's Defence Ministry, patrols can last up to five months, with soldiers living in near-total isolation, relying on sled dogs rather than snowmobiles.

The Sirius Patrol's job is simple but critical. It is to detect and intercept any unauthorised presence. Even Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik once served with the patrol.

The elite Danish naval unit is also tasked with patrolling the Arctic wilderness of northern and eastern Greenland, including the massive Northeast Greenland Park, which is the largest national park in the world.

However, with Trump doubling down on Greenland on a daily basis, the quiet and frozen Greenland has become a live geopolitical hotspot. It is guarded by Denmark's toughest Arctic warriors on land, sea and ice. Any American move would not be a walkover but a test of nerves in one of the harshest places on Earth.

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