A Danish intelligence report warns of the US military threat in the Trump era

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The United States is using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten to use military force against friends and enemies alike, a Danish intelligence agency said in a new report.

Washington’s greater assertiveness under the Trump administration also comes at a time when China and Russia are seeking to reduce Western, especially American, influence, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service said in its latest annual assessment.

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Perhaps most sensitive for Denmark – a member state of NATO and the European Union and an ally of the United States – is the growing competition between those great powers in the Arctic. US President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to see Greenland, a semi-autonomous, mineral-rich Danish region, become part of the United States, a move opposed by Russia and most of Europe.

“The strategic importance of the Arctic is increasing as the conflict between Russia and the West intensifies, and the increased security and strategic focus on the Arctic by the United States will further accelerate these developments,” the report published on Wednesday said.

The assessment also comes after the release last week of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy that portrays European allies as weak and aims to reassert America’s dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is concerned about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and will respond by strengthening its military capabilities in the Arctic region.

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The report’s findings and analysis reflect a series of recent concerns, particularly in Western Europe, about an increasingly go-it-alone approach by the United States, which during Trump’s second term has favored bilateral deals and partnerships at the expense of multilateral alliances such as NATO.

“For many countries outside the West, concluding strategic agreements with China rather than the United States has become a viable option,” the report, written in Danish, said. China and Russia, along with other like-minded countries, seek to limit Western global influence – especially the United States.

“At the same time, uncertainty has increased about how the United States will prioritize its resources in the future,” she added. “This gives regional powers more room to maneuver, enabling them to choose between the United States and China or strike a balance between the two.”

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The Trump administration has raised concerns about respect for international law with a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific — part of an escalating pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Trump also refused to rule out the use of military force in Greenland, where the United States already has a military base.

“The United States is taking advantage of its economic power, including the threat of high tariffs, to assert its will, and the possibility of using military force – even against allies – is no longer ruled out,” the report said.