Trump Beware! Denmark soldiers will 'shoot first, ask questions later' if US tries to invade Greenland

Danish soldiers, under a decades-old military rule, will "shoot first, ask questions later" if the United States tries to take over Greenland by force. This is not a statement made by Denmark; it stems from a 1952 rule that requires soldiers to attack invading forces "immediately" without waiting for any orders. This emerges as US President Donald Trump continues to insist that America needs to gain control over Greenland to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the region. Here's all we know about it.

'Go in guns blazing'

According to a rule that dates back to 1952, soldiers in Denmark are required to "go in guns blazing" in case of an invasion. The Danish defence ministry, on Wednesday (Jan 7), confirmed to Danish newspaper Berlingske that the rule "remains in force".

The Danish publication reports that if an invasion occurs, the rule stipulates that "the attacked forces must immediately take up the fight without waiting for or seeking orders, even if the commanders in question are not aware of the declaration of war or state of war".

Confirming the rules' continued existence, the Danish defence ministry said, "The order on precautionary measures for military defence in the event of attacks on the country and during war, remains in force".

Will it be needed?

Recent days have seen Trump threaten to take over Greenland, either through purchase or by force. The POTUS claims that the United States "needs Greenland from the standpoint of national security". While White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that a possible US offer to buy the self-governing territory was "currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team," Trump's administration has not ruled out using military force.

"All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what’s in the US’s interests… but the president’s first option, always, has been diplomacy," commented Leavitt.

Europe ready to fight for Greenland's "territorial integrity"

On Tuesday (Jan 6), seven European leaders, from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark, in a joint statement declared that they won't "stop defending" Greenland. This only served to anger Trump, who on Truth Social slammed the US's NATO allies and reminded them "most weren't paying their bills".

"Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren’t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG. The USA was, foolishly, paying for them! I, respectfully, got them to 5% GDP, AND THEY PAY, immediately," he said once again claiming that he "single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS".