This Is Why We Must Have Control of Neighboring Greenland

If Russia were to attack the United States, it would likely do so via the Arctic. “The Arctic is no longer a fortress wall, and our oceans are no longer protective moats; they are now avenues of approach,” Ret. US Gen. O’Shaughnessy, NorCom Commander, Senate Hearing, February, 2020.

An autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is physically closer to the United States, with just 1,900 kilometers  (1180 miles) separating the state of Maine from the Arctic island’s shores. Denmark is 2920 km (1814 miles) distant.

As a territory of Denmark, it is part of NATO, but Greenland is pursuing independence from Copenhagen, and that could open the door to Russia and China moving in. It’s better to have the US buy it.

Control of the entire island would enable the US to protect Europe and the US against naval and air threats emanating from the region as well as dangers from space.

Russia has a much greater military presence in the Arctic than the United States. Despite the war in Ukraine, it has continued to invest heavily in its defense capabilities in the region. Denmark allowed that, so when Trump says they are doing a bad job and are bad allies, he has a point.

Retired U.S. General Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, who served as commander of the U.S. Northern Command, told a Senate hearing in February 2020 that if Russia were to attack the United States, it would likely do so via the Arctic.

“The Arctic is no longer a fortress wall, and our oceans are no longer protective moats; they are now avenues of approach,” he told the hearing.

China, not an Arctic nation, wants ports, mining rights, and infrastructure rights.

Jahara Matisek, a U.S. Naval War College professor who spoke to RFE/RL as an independent expert and not on behalf of the government, said U.S. military infrastructure in the Arctic has languished, calling it the weakest link in homeland defense.

“If China can disrupt our ‘Kill Chain‘ — our space-based assets, our satellites — then we will struggle to shoot things down. We will struggle to target, identify, attack, so that’s why Greenland ends up actually mattering a lot,” he said.

The US is weak in the Arctic. We don’t have icebreakers but Russia and China do.

A Crack in the Wall: Private Messages Going Back-and-Forth

Axios reports that Denmark sent private messages to Trump’s team.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that the United States could increase its military presence in Greenland, but it’s not for sale.

Before a meeting of the European Union in Brussels, Frederiksen acknowledged the growing strategic importance of the Arctic region and the potential for more extensive security cooperation with the US.

“I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, the Arctic region, is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defense and security and deterrence,” Frederiksen said. “And it is possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland.”

Frederiksen, however, repeated that the territory is “not for sale.” What good is it to own it if you do nothing with it or for it?

Trump has long maintained that the territory holds significant strategic value for national security, particularly as Russia and China expand their presence in the Arctic. Greenland is also believed to be rich in natural resources.

Currently, the US maintains a military base in Greenland that monitors space and detects missile threats. Frederiksen indicated that American forces could expand their role in the region, telling reporters that the US “can have more possibilities,” according to The Telegraph.

She also noted that Denmark and NATO are considering a greater Arctic presence.

“So if this is about securing our part of the world, we can find a way forward,” she said.

NATO is a mess of European nations that can’t defend themselves, and one besides the US that can protect itself, and that’s Turkey. However, Turkey is not always a reliable partner.

Denmark can’t and doesn’t defend Greenland, and that’s their role. They don’t want the natural resources touched because of their extreme climate views.

Before the EU meeting, Vice President JD Vance stated that the US is committed to acquiring Greenland.

“It’s really important to our national security. There are sea lanes there that the Chinese use, that the Russians use, that frankly, Denmark, which controls Greenland, it’s not doing its job and it’s not being a good ally,” Vance told Fox News. “So you have to ask yourself, how are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security? If that means that we need to take more territorial interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do because he doesn’t care what the Europeans scream at us.”

“So you have to ask yourself, how are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security? If that means that we need to take more territorial interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn’t care what the Europeans scream at us.

“He cares about putting the interests of America’s citizens first.”

Denmark disagrees and thinks they are great allies.

“We have fought side by side with the Americans for many, many decades,” she responded. “I will not accept the notion that Denmark is a bad ally. We are not, we have not been, and we will not be in the future.”

During World War II, it was the US that protected Greenland from the Nazis, not Denmark.

Suddenly, Danish officials have said they are looking into further measures to increase investment in military infrastructure and capabilities in Greenland in consultation with the Greenlandic government.

Greenland played a key role in NATO and U.S. defenses during the Cold War as part of an early warning system to detect Soviet submarines or, potentially, missiles.

However, Trump is also interested in enriching Greenland by developing their natural resources. Denmark is not.

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