NYT: Pentagon received no instructions for Greenland takeover preparation

The US Pentagon has not yet received an order to begin preparing a plan for a military operation in Greenland.

Amid rising pressure applied by the White House on their foreign allies on the matter of shifting ownership over the Arctic island, the New York Times publication has cited an unnamed US official on the current status within the Department of War (DOW).

According to the source, the department is routinely developing scenarios for a range of military contingencies, but no specific directive regarding an operation on the island has been issued so far.

Defence analysts cited in the article believe that a military takeover of the island, which is a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, due to its sparse population and already existing US military base on site. Yet the NYT reports that Pentagon officials and senior commanders were reluctant of Trump's proposals of forcibly taking over Greenland, as they "privately express dismay and exasperation that Trump continues to hold out the option of military force."

The breakdown of the Western alliance and the attack on a NATO ally were cited as the most important considerations critics hold.

By Nazrin Sadigova