🔗 Share this article

Taking action inspired by fictional guards, Denmark's foreign ministry has initiated a nighttime monitoring unit—not to fend off mythical threats, but to monitor the US president while Copenhagen sleeps.

The night watch starts at 5pm in Denmark each day and ends with a summary compiled at 7am, which is then circulated throughout government departments and concerned offices covering what was said and events that occurred.

The role is understood to have been introduced following the bilateral dispute between Copenhagen and Washington over the Arctic island this spring, when the US president suggested taking control of the strategic territory.

Analysts point out that this initiative is among several instances of how Denmark's foreign policy and its civil service have had to adapt to the new reality of the second Trump administration.

An insider familiar with the ministry stated, “It's accurate to say that the situation in the region and the time difference between Denmark and the United States was quite an important factor prompting this arrangement in the earlier months.”

Rather than all staff needing to immediately reach for their devices to catch up on updates from the US, the foreign office said it had undertaken a collective effort to remain informed on the president's actions.

An expert, a ex- senior analyst at the defense intelligence service, stated that this move showed, “as long understood,” that the idea of the US as Denmark's primary partner was no longer valid. “Alliances are founded on common values and a mutual view of threats,” Kaarsbo added. “The president lacks both of those with us and I would argue he doesn't share it with most Europeans.”