The archbishop overseeing Catholic chaplains for U.S. military personnel has warned that a U.S. military-led annexation of Greenland could place service members in morally impermissible situations, as President Trump continues to threaten the use of force to seize the Arctic territory.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who serves as the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, said troops could be ordered to carry out actions that conflict with their moral conscience if deployed to Greenland. Speaking to the BBC over the weekend, Broglio cautioned that such a mission would raise serious ethical concerns for Catholic service members.
He said U.S. troops “could be put in a situation where they’re being ordered to do something that’s morally questionable” if tasked with carrying out the president’s annexation threats. Broglio added that it could be “very difficult for a soldier or a marine or a sailor by himself to disobey an order,” even when, “within the realm of their own conscience it would be morally acceptable to disobey.”
Broglio has increasingly spoken out against military actions ordered by the Trump administration. In December, he publicly condemned a second U.S. strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean, an operation that resulted in the deaths of two additional people. At the time, he said, “The moral principle forbidding the intentional killing of noncombatants is inviolable.”
In his recent remarks, Broglio suggested that the administration has failed to respond to security challenges in a morally sound manner, referencing both the Caribbean strikes and the escalating rhetoric around Greenland. He said the administration did not choose “the proper way and the moral way to respond to these situations.”
“Men and women under my charge were being forced to engage in situations that were not necessary,” he said of the Caribbean operations. Turning to Greenland, he argued that a military takeover “doesn’t seem necessary” or “acceptable.”
“Greenland is a territory of Denmark [and] Denmark is an ally,” Broglio told the BBC. “It does not seem really reasonable that the United States would attack and occupy a friendly nation.” He also warned that while “some of [Trump’s] rhetoric is more concerning than some of the actions,” it nonetheless “tarnishes the image of the United States in our world.”
Trump administration officials have repeatedly asserted that annexing Greenland is vital to U.S. national security, dismissing concerns about diplomatic fallout and potential damage to relationships with allies, including NATO members. The president’s comments have alarmed European governments and prompted a series of responses from Denmark and its allies.
Last week, Denmark announced that several NATO nations will participate in military training exercises in Greenland and that Copenhagen would increase its military presence on the island. Several countries have also said they plan to open consulates there. Shortly after those announcements, Trump imposed tariffs on eight NATO nations, a move widely viewed as retaliatory.
Greenlandic leaders have consistently rejected the prospect of U.S. control, reaffirming their preference to remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen made that position explicit in recent remarks.
“If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” Nielsen said. “One thing must be clear to everyone: Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”
GREENLAND WILL NOT BE OWNED BY USA — PM Nielsen pic.twitter.com/5VqDdJoyby
— RT (@RT_com) January 13, 2026
As tensions continue to rise, Broglio’s comments underscore growing concern within religious and ethical circles about the moral implications of potential U.S. military action against an allied nation and the burden such orders could place on individual service members.
