Trump’s post yesterday on Truth Social follows months in which he unsettled European allies by threatening to take the Arctic territory from Denmark. The helicopter was deployed from the inspection vessel Vædderen.”That event was followed later in the day by Trump’s post, which featured what appears to be an AI-generated illustration of the USNS Mercy steaming towards the Arctic territory. The US Navy operates two hospital ships, the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy. Navy officials and officials with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond. In June, the Pentagon signed a US$18.7m deal with the same shipyard to place the Mercy in extended maintenance.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 22, 2026 23:53 UTC