그린란드, 미국 트럼프과 덴마크 갈등 증폭. 덴마크는 그린란드에 육,해,공군 증강 시작. 덴마크가 ‘정치적 군사적 경계선인 인계철선 tripwire’를 설정
트럼프의 그린란드 매입 발표 후, 덴마크가 '정치적 군사적인 경계선인 인계철선 tripwire'를 설정했다.
머레이 브루스터 (국방 안보 전문기자) 기사 요지 번역
1. 트럼프의 그린란드 영토에 대한 지속적인 ‘도발’에 대응하기 위해, 덴마크가 ‘정치적 군사적 경계선인 인계철선 tripwire’를 설정하고, 그린란드에 육,해,공군 증강 실행.
덴마크, 덴마크 1월 14일. 외침을 대비한 정치적 군사적 경계선인 ‘인계철선 tripwire’ 설정.
원인: 미국 트럼프의 그린란드 영토 매입 주장이 덴마크를 도발함.
인계철선 (tripwire) 개념. 적국이 공격하면 바로 전쟁을 개시할 수 있도록 소규모 군대를 배치하는 것을 뜻하고, 덴마크와 NATO 회원국이 적국과의 전투를 개시한다는 정치 군사적인 경계선이다.
인계철선에 해당하는 것은, 현재 발틱 3국, 라트비아에 캐나다군 2천명이, 수도 리가 북쪽 40km ‘아다지’ 기지를 중심으로 활동. 독일군 1천명이 리투아니아, 영국군 1천명이 에스토니아에 배치되어 ‘인계철선’ 역할을 하고 있다. 그 이유는 발틱 3국 해안이 NATO와 러시아의 경계에서, 전략적 요충지이기 때문이다.
뉴스에 따르면, 독일과 스웨덴과 그린란드에 군대를 파견할 예정이다.
2. 미국과 덴마크 회담 실패.
1월 14일. 부통령 JD밴스와 국무장관 루비오, 덴마크 외무부 장관 라스 뢰케 라스무센(Lars Løkke Rasmussen)과의 회담은 성과없이 실패로 돌아감. 라스무센 발언 “미국의 그린란드 획득 의지는 변하지 않고 그대로이다”
덴마크 외무부 입장, 미국의 그란란드에 대한 부당한 주장이 지속되면, NATO는 끝장난다.
3. 그린란드에서 군사적 충돌은 발생할 것인가?
숀 멀루니 ( 캐나다 로얄 군사학, 역사학 교수) 의견 – 그린란드는 미국 영토로부터 멀리 떨어진 곳이다. 전쟁수행이 쉽지 않은 그린란드 땅에서, 미국이 NATO회원국의 정예군인들과 전투를 벌이기란 쉽지 않다.
향후 미국 트럼프가 그린란드에 어떻게 군사력을 증강할 것인가? 이 문제가 향후 중요한 주제가 될 것이다.
숀 멀루니 주안점. 미군이 그란란드에 실제로 병력을 어떻게 증강하는가를 주의해서 관찰해야 한다.
러시아가 2021년 말부터 2022년 초에 우크라이나와의 국경선에 군사력을 증강배치했었다.
미국이 최근 베네수엘라 해안가에 군사작전을 위한 합동부대, ‘TF 태스크 포스’의 집결 등을 참고해야 한다.
향후 미국이 실제 그린란드에 군대를 파견할 수도 있는데, 러시아와 베네수엘라 사례처럼, 군사력 증강이나 합동훈련을 알아챌 수 있다.
2026년에 트럼프 정권이 그린란드 내, 미군이 주둔하고 있는 피투픽 우주 기지에다 실제로 어떻게 ‘장비,물류’를 보충하는지, 군사력을 어떻게 증강시키는지를 주의해서 봐야겠음.
[참고] 현재 미국이 실제 군대를 배치한 곳은, 피투픽(Pituffik), 피투픽 우주 기지.
1951년 덴마크-미국 방위협정에 따라 피투픽에 기지 설치.
2026년 현재 150명 미군이 탄도미사일 조기경보(BMEWS), 레이더 및 위성 감시를 하고 있음.
우주군 소속 (100명) 기지 운영, 레이더, 미사일 경보, 우주 감시
공군,육군 지원(50명) 기술지원, 통신,물류,기지 유지 등
책임자 Shawn Lee 숀 리
Murray Brewster - 머레이 브루스터. 글
시니어 기자. 군사안보 분야.
Denmark sets a military tripwire. It's a message to Trump more than Russia or China
Troop buildup in Greenland announced with select number of allied nations
Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Jan 15, 2026 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: January 15
A soldier with a Danish flag is seen in a military vehicle.
A Danish tank is seen taking part in a military competition in Germany last year. Danish troops, with the support of some European allies, are being deployed to Greenland as the United States holds discussions about how to take control of the Danish territory. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
In military deterrence lingo, what we're witnessing in Greenland is sometimes referred to as the "glass plate" or the "tripwire."
It's a metaphor for breaking the glass — or crossing the threshold — between peace and war.
Denmark announced Wednesday that it is bolstering its troop, naval and air presence in the Arctic island in conjunction with NATO allies.
The Danish Defence Ministry says it plans to deploy additional military capabilities and units for exercises that could include "guarding critical infrastructure, providing assistance to local authorities in Greenland, including the police."
On paper, this token force is being deployed to bolster the island's security in response to U.S. complaints. What is extraordinary, perhaps even unprecedented, is that it serves as message more to the U.S. than it does to Russia or China.
Tripwires are the kind of forces that NATO has deployed in Eastern Europe, including the Baltics where Canada leads the Latvia contingent, to counter any further aggression by Moscow.
To be clear: The Danish military buildup in Greenland is not a NATO mission — something that would require the sign-off of all 32 member nations, including the United States.
But a handful of NATO allies, including Germany and Sweden, have signalled they're willing to send troops to Greenland as part of a bolstered presence.
The Danes are currently planning to host a military exercise in the region that could include Canadians, but a spokesperson for Defence Minister David McGuinty said no decision has been made.
"As of this moment, the Canadian Armed Forces are not initiating any new operations in Greenland," said Maya Ouferhat, McGuinty's press secretary, in a statement.
The political significance of joining the Danish initiative would be staggering, said a defence expert.
Denmark puts more troops into Greenland, raising the stakes for Trump
Can diplomacy stop Trump's plans for Greenland?
"Members of the alliance are putting together a tripwire to try to deter Donald Trump, and what that tells you is we are very much in unprecedented times where we could very much be facing tomorrow, next week, next month American troops pointing their guns at Danish troops," said Steve Saideman, a political scientist who holds the Paterson Chair in International Affairs at Carleton University.
"It's to deter the United States from engaging in aggression. That's the only reason why they'd be there. And that sends a strong signal about the intense distrust and fear that these countries have of a country that's supposed to be their protector."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said earlier this week that allies are looking at ways of boosting Arctic security.
'Fundamental disagreement'
In Washington on Wednesday, Denmark's foreign minister said a "fundamental disagreement" remains with U.S. President Donald Trump over the future of the island. High-level talks involving the Danes and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio failed to resolve the crisis.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark's top diplomat, said the meeting was "frank but also constructive." The delegation made it clear that Denmark and Greenland firmly reject the Trump administration's demand for full control of the semiautonomous island.
Denmark has warned that any move against Greenland would mean the end of NATO.
Saideman said he wonders if the decades-old Western military alliance isn't already mortally wounded.
Two people stand near flags.
Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt and Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen met with U.S. officials in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images)
"The whole idea of NATO is deterrence created by the credibility of the American willingness to defend its allies," Saideman said.
"It was never about Denmark's willingness to defend the United States or Canada's willingness to defend Poland. It's always been about the American commitment to defend its allies, and if the United States is actually threatening some of its allies, including the one that sacrificed the most per capita in Afghanistan outside of Estonia, it raises huge questions about whether the United States would be willing to sacrifice Americans for the defence of Latvia, Lithuania."
AnalysisU.S., NATO have long history of not being serious about Greenland. That's about to change
The other dimension Saideman said he wonders about is whether the U.S. military would follow orders to attack a NATO ally.
The attack on Venezuela, which many defence analysts believe has emboldened the Trump administration, was much more straightforward than any possible action against Danish territory.
"Venezuela is not Greenland," said Sean Maloney, a professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston.
Conducting an operation against a professionally trained ally in a harsh environment far from U.S. territory would be tough and require planning.
Following a White House meeting with U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Washington had not budged on its position that it must acquire Greenland. When asked by a reporter about the emotion of the moment, Rasmussen, who spoke alongside his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said it is 'very emotional for all of us.'
"The logistics issues with Greenland are immense," said Maloney, who added that he wonders whether the U.S. would choose to simply fly more troops and equipment into its existing base — or whether it would go after other parts of the island, including population centres and mines.
"What this looks like is anybody's guess," said Maloney.
That's where the notion of the tripwire force comes into play. The presence of Danish and allied troops raises the stakes and could conceivably force the U.S. to commit additional forces.
Much like Russia's months-long buildup on the Ukrainian border in late 2021 and early 2022 and more recently the assembly of the U.S. task force off Venezuela, Maloney said what we should watch for is the movement of U.S. logistics forces.
Armies and military operations don't appear out of thin air.
"There's a whole bunch of things that will be seen by the open-source intelligence community" if the U.S. starts a mobilization, said Maloney.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Murray Brewster - 머레이 브루스터. 글
시니어 기자. 군사안보 분야.
Senior reporter, defence and security
Murray Brewster is senior defence writer for CBC News, based in Ottawa. He has covered the Canadian military and foreign policy from Parliament Hill for over a decade. Among other assignments, he spent a total of 15 months on the ground covering the Afghan war for The Canadian Press. Prior to that, he covered defence issues and politics for CP in Nova Scotia for 11 years and was bureau chief for Standard Broadcast News in Ottawa.
단어 뜻. trip wire (인계철선)
전쟁터에서 적이나 침략자를 넘어뜨리기 위해, 낮게 숨겨진 전선. 움직이면 경보 장치, 폭발 장치를 작동시킨다
a low-laced concealed wire used especially in warfare to trip an enemy or trespasser and usually to trigger an alarm or
explosive device when moved
2. trip wire (인계철선-引繼鐵線) -물리적 움직임을 인식하여 반응을 유발하는 수동적 기폭 메커니즘
: something (such as a small military force) intended to function like a trip wire (as to set a larger military force in motion)
더 큰 규모의 군대를 출동시키기 위해, 작전을 수행하기 위해서, '인계철선'과 같은 기능을 하는 '소규모 군대'를 지칭함.
