丹麦长期以来一直是美国的积极盟友，在人口仅600万的情况下，承担了高于比例的国际安全责任。例如，在阿富汗战争中，丹麦按人口比例的士兵阵亡数几乎是联盟中最高的。近年来，丹麦也是对乌克兰提供人均援助最多的国家之一。作为北约成员，丹麦经常没有像其他盟友那样为本国部队设置“国家保留条款”，因此更频繁地参与高风险任务。

然而，随着美国越来越不愿承担全球警察角色，丹麦的“工具价值”变得不稳定。丹麦的领土，包括控制波罗的海的本土和战略意义巨大的格陵兰岛，过去被视为美国的关键资产。美国根据1951年与丹麦签订的条约几乎可自由部署军队于格陵兰。然而，特朗普总统声称丹麦在北极防务投资不足，并多次表示美国有权力拥有格陵兰，使两国关系紧张。最近，尽管格陵兰5.7万人希望获得更多自主权，但他们在今年的全岛选举中否决了激进的分离主义。

丹麦对美国的依赖仍然无法避免，特别是在遏制俄罗斯方面。为应对不确定局势，丹麦正斥资数十亿美元采购美欧武器，包括可打击俄罗斯的远程导弹，并放弃了对欧盟国防合作的法律豁免。尽管如此，政治人物普遍担心信任无法恢复。正如官员所说，“无作为同样让人泄气”，盟友间的信任正遭受双向打击。

For decades, Denmark has been a notably active US ally, shouldering a disproportionate security burden despite its population of only 6 million. In Afghanistan, Denmark suffered some of the coalition's highest casualty rates by population, and is now one of the largest per capita contributors of aid to Ukraine. As a NATO member, Denmark rarely invoked “national caveats,” making it more exposed to high-risk operations than most partners.

However, with the US retreating from its traditional global leadership, Denmark’s strategic value is less clear-cut. Its territory—namely the Baltic gateway and Greenland—once made Denmark vital to America. A 1951 treaty gives the US near-unrestricted military access to Greenland. President Trump accused Denmark of underinvesting in Arctic defense and pushed for US ownership of Greenland, souring relations. Despite 57,000 Greenlanders wanting increased autonomy, this year’s island-wide elections rejected radical secessionists seeking rapid independence, even with US support.

Denmark’s dependence on America remains, especially regarding Russia. To hedge against geopolitical instability, Denmark is spending billions on US and European weaponry, including long-range missiles targeting Russia, and has ended its EU defense opt-out. Still, Danish politicians fear trust in the US is deteriorating. As one official put it, “fecklessness cuts both ways”—allies’ confidence is being undermined on both sides.