Daily on Defense presented by Americans for Fusion: Trump brings chaos to Davos, links Greenland land-grab to Nobel snub, says he no longer feels ‘an obligation to think purely of peace,’ U.S. warplanes deploy to Nuuk

BY JAMIE MCINTYRE

TRUMP BRINGS CHAOS TO DAVOS: President Donald Trump, in his uniquely disruptive leadership style, heads to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, bringing controversy and chaos in his wake. "Let's put it this way: It's going to be a very interesting Davos," Trump told reporters on his departure from Florida last night.

Europe was already reeling from the fusillade of provocative Trump pronouncements over the past three days, insisting the U.S. must have "Complete and Total Control of Greenland," while threatening to levy punitive tariffs of 10% on NATO allies that don't back him, when he plied on with a barrage of broadsides.

In the early morning hours Trump took aim at America's closest allies, calling the U.K. decision to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius "an act of GREAT STUPIDITY," by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and citing it as "another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired," in a post on his Truth Social platform. It was just a few months ago that both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the decision as securing "the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint U.S.-UK military facility at Diego Garcia."

Trump also posted a screenshot of a private message from Emmanuel Macron, in which the French president said, "I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland," and suggested setting up a meeting of members of the Group of Seven in Paris on Thursday, and adding Denmark, Ukraine, and Russia to the group.

Informed by reporters that France was not planning to join Trump's "Board of Peace," which he announced last week, Trump was immediately dismissive of Macron. "Nobody wants him because he's going to be out of office very soon," he said on the tarmac of Palm Beach airport. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "What I'll do is if they feel hostile, I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he'll join."

At a White House event Friday, Trump boasted, "I'm the tariff king, and the tariff king has done a great job."

WHO WAS INVITED TO BE ON TRUMP'S 'BOARD OF PEACE'?

AN OLIVE BRANCH SPURNED: Amid all the Sturm und Drang over the three-day weekend, probably nothing attracted more attention than a private text exchange made public between Danish Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Trump, in which Store, writing on behalf of himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, politely suggested a phone conversation to "work to take this down and de-escalate," the situation.

Trump was having none of it, sending a combative reply that he made a point of making public, in which he blamed Norway for unfairly denying him the Nobel Peace Prize. "Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace," he wrote. "Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a 'right of ownership' anyway? There are no written documents, it's only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also."

"The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland," he added.

In a statement later, Store said he could confirm the text was genuine, and said, "In our message to Trump, we conveyed our opposition to his announced tariff increases against Norway, Finland, and select other countries. We pointed to the need to de-escalate and proposed a telephone conversation between Trump, Stubb, and myself on the same day."

"It was his decision to share his message with other NATO leaders," said Store. "Norway's position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter."

STILL STEAMED ABOUT THE PRIZE: Store tried to explain that his government had no role in who is awarded Nobel prizes. "I have clearly explained, including to President Trump, what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government," he said in his statement.

Again, Trump had his own idea. "Norway totally controls it, despite what they say," he told NBC News in a brief phone interview.

"If anybody thinks that Norway doesn't control the Nobel Prize, they're just kidding," he told reporters later. "They have a board, but it's controlled by Norway, and I don't care what Norway says."

OPINION: THE SVALBARD PROOF TRUMP WANTS GREENLAND FOR DOLLARS, NOT DEFENSE

Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.

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HAPPENING TODAY: US FORCES DEPLOY TO GREENLAND: Don't worry, it's a routine military exercise, according to the joint U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command, which posted an announcement that "NORAD aircraft will soon arrive at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland."

"Along with aircraft operating from bases in the continental United States and Canada, they will support various long-planned NORAD activities, building on the enduring defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark."

NORAD said both Denmark and Greenland were fully consulted, and said the planes "operating from bases in the continental United States and Canada," would conduct "sustained, dispersed operations in the defense of North America," and support "long-planned NORAD activities, building on the enduring defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark."

The announcement came as Pentagon officials confirmed to the Associated Press that about 1,500 paratroopers from two battalions of the Army's 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska — which specializes in operating in arctic conditions — have been given prepare-to-deploy orders for Minnesota, not Greenland.

The active-duty troops are said to be standing by in case President Trump decides to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell demonstrations by Minnesotans protesting immigration enforcement operations by federal authorities.

Asked point-blank by NBC News yesterday if he would use force to seize Greenland, President Trump replied with a terse, "No comment."

MINNESOTA HOTELS CLOSE AMID ICE PROTESTS OVER 'HEIGHTENED PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS'

THE RUNDOWN:

Washington Examiner: Trump posts message from French President Macron about wanting 'to build great things'

Washington Examiner: What is Europe's 'trade bazooka' being floated as an answer to Trump's Greenland threats?

Washington Examiner: Who was invited to be on Trump's 'Board of Peace'?

Washington Examiner: Pence calls for new Venezuela elections to replace Delcy Rodriguez

Washington Examiner: Trump's pick to lead US Southern Command deflects on Venezuela questions

Washington Examiner: Trump's 'first resort' use of military has succeeded but it has its limits

Washington Examiner: ISIS fighters reportedly escape from Kurdish prisons amid fighting with government

Washington Examiner: US kills Al Qaeda terrorist with ties to slaying of three Americans in Syria

Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: The Svalbard proof Trump wants Greenland for dollars, not defense

Washington Examiner: Iran's halting of executions had 'big impact' in delay of possible military action: Trump

Washington Examiner: Russia tries to revive its relevance with support for Iran after failure to fight US moves in Venezuela

Washington Examiner: Trump's border security measures go far beyond just a wall. Here's what to know

Washington Examiner: Minnesota hotels close amid ICE protests over 'heightened public safety concerns'

Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: America's ICE-protester idiocy

Kyiv Post: Zelensky Claims Ukraine's Military Has Mostly Shut Down Russian Attacks

Wall Street Journal: In Trump's Drive for Greenland, NATO Is the First Casualty

The Economist: America's hunger for Greenland is tearing NATO apart

Telegraph: UK warns Trump he risks 'dangerous spiral' with tariffs

NBC: Trump won't say whether he would use force to seize Greenland

Financial Times: 'It's about trust': Trump's fresh tariff threats push Europe to harden its stance

New York Times: Bleak Times in Copenhagen: Danes Feel Betrayed and Bewildered by Trump

Wall Street Journal: Syrian President Forces Major Concessions from US-Backed SDF in Cease-Fire DealNew York Times: Thousands of Chinese Fishing Boats Quietly Form Vast Sea Barriers

AP: Iraqi Army Fully Takes Over Key Base Following US Withdrawal

Breaking Defense: No Longer 'Experimental': Navy to Deploy Drone Boats This Year, Official Says

The War Zone: Denmark Retires F-16 After More Than Four Decades of Service

Air & Space Forces Magazine: What to Watch as Pentagon Implements AI, Innovation Reforms

Air & Space Forces Magazine: CYBERCOM Nominee Cautions Against Creating Cyber Force, Splitting Off NSA

Air & Space Forces Magazine: DOD Task Force Moves Closer to Launching a Counter-Drone Shopping Site

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91

Telegraph: John Bolton Opinion: This Greenland grab is Trump's worst move yet. And that's saying something

THE CALENDAR:

TUESDAY | JANUARY 20

7:15 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army discussion with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George https://www.ausa.org/coffee-series/csa-george

10 a.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University (GWU) Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: "The state of French-U.S. relations," with French Ambassador to the U.S. Laurent Bili https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/a-conversation-with-laurent-bili

11 a.m. 14th and F Sts. NW — Falco Ink news conference on "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: new evidence related to alleged non-human encounters and crash-retrieval programs," with filmmaker James Fox https://www.press.org/events/uap-ufo-press-conference

3 pm. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: "Israeli Formal and De Facto West Bank Annexation: Regional Consequences and U.S. Policy Implications," with Tahani Mustafa, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations Middle East and North Africa Program; Ron Shatzberg, co-executive director of the Economic Cooperation Foundation; former U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Yael Lempert, MEI vice president for outreach; and Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, MEI senior fellow https://www.mei.edu/events/israeli-formal-and-de-facto-west-bank-annexation

WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 21

10 a.m. 1763 N St. NW — Middle East Institute discussion: "Held Hostage by Iran's Militias: Where Are They Now?" with Elizabeth Tsurkov, non-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute and a research fellow at the Forum for Regional Thinking; Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution; and Charles Lister, senior fellow and the director of the MEI Syria Initiative https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

10 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research discussion: "What Does the Future Look Like for Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council?" with former Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany; Summer Ahmed, foreign affairs representative to the U.S. Southern Transitional Council; Fernando Carvajal, executive director, American Center for South Yemen Studies; and Michael Rubin, AEI senior fellow https://www.aei.org/events/what-does-the-future-look-like-for-yemen

6 p.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Johns Hopkins University discussion: "Space Force 2040 and the Future Fight," with Gen. Shawn Bratton, U.S. Space Force vice chief of space operations; John Plumb, head of strategy at K2 Space; Susanna Hake, general manager for U.S. government at Vantor; and Dennis Woodfork, mission area executive for national security space at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory https://hub.jhu.edu/events/2026/01/21/discovery-series-spacenews-space-force/

THURSDAY | JANUARY 22

8:45 a.m. 2168 Rayburn — Progressive Policy Institute discussion: "Space policy," with Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY); and Mary Guenther, PPI head of space policy https://www.progressivepolicy.org/event/women-in-policy-coffee-with-rep-grace-meng/

9 a.m. — Women's Foreign Policy Group virtual discussion: "Venezuela's Pivotal Moment: Latin American Perspectives on the Path Ahead," with Consuelo Savedra, London-based Chilean journalist; Lucia Dammert, professor, University of Santiago; and Margaret Myers, director, Inter-American Dialogue's Asia and Latin America Program https://wfpg.memberclicks.net/venezuela26#/

12 p.m. 37th and O Sts. NW — Georgetown University Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding discussion: "Protests in Iran: Is this the End of the Islamic Republic?" with Negar Mortazavi, editor and host of the Iran Podcast; Sina Toossi, author, of Dissident Foreign Policy; Daniel Brumberg, associate professor, Georgetown University Department of Government; and Nader Hashemi, director, GU Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding https://events.georgetown.edu/sfs/event/36851-protests-in-iran

3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: "The Arsenal of Freedom Tour," with Heather Williams, director, CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues; Tom Karako, director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project; and Kari Bingen, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project https://www.csis.org/events/arsenal-freedom-tour

FRIDAY | JANUARY 23

9 a.m. — Center for the National Interest virtual discussion: "Greenland: U.S. Interests, Options, and Allies," with Alexander Gray, CEO, American Global Strategies; Elizabeth Buchanan and Martha Miller, both senior fellows, Center for the National Interest https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

2:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW— Center for Strategic and International Studies U.S.-Japan Security Seminar," with Kristi Govella, CSIS senior adviser and Japan chair; and Nicholas Szechenyi, vice president, CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department https://www.csis.org/events/2026-us-japan-security-seminar