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Comment by xg15 | Hacker News Reader

France is sending 15 soldiers, Germany 13. Not sure how much the other countries are sending, but at that rate, they seem to expect a US invasion force of 100 people and probably a few dogsleds?

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The US has done this historically for allies, too, a small deployment along with a public reiteration of a defense commitment isn't saying the troops are intended to be sufficient to resist a threat, it is intended to show that going from threat to war means war with not just the territory attacked, but the power deploying (even small) forces, and potentially all of their available capabilities.

This is especially the case when the tripwire force is deployed by a nuclear power on the territory of a non-nuclear power facing a conventional threat from a nuclear power.

The above comment referencing Guns of August has it: the point is not to put up significant resistance, but, like the Minnesotans, force the US invasion force to have to kill or capture them in a way that produces as much negative publicity as possible if they do want to take Greenland.

Indeed the key point is to make sure it is not a bloodless operation. Maybe some pictures of dead white people on the TV will short circuit the part of the republican brain that worships strongmen.

It only takes one soldier to down an incoming US transport aircraft with a MANPAD?

MANPADS are designed to be used against small CAS aircraft. Attacking large transport aircraft effectively requires a considerably larger air defense system. That also assumes you can move a MANPADS within range; the US already controls a large military airfield on Greenland.

Ok, and then what happens, Sun Tzu?

The end of the US as we know it happens. Sure the US could win a war ("win"), but the US without US Europe trade, EU turning to China as its main trading partner including in military equipment, no more bases in EU, less access to other parts of the world, and so on. That would be a US that would wither and die.

I have no idea - nothing good, that's clear.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripwire_force?useskin=vector

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