‘Just the Facts, Ma’am:’ The Vital Importance of Greenland for U.S. Defense

‘Just the Facts, Ma’am:’ The Vital Importance of Greenland for U.S. Defense

Ever since President Trump announced his interest in a U.S. acquisition of Greenland, leftist media at home and abroad have reacted with a mixture of vicious mockery and hysterical indignation. The media frenzy reached new heights shortly before the Davos WEF meeting this January due to Trump’s strong rhetoric.

This rhetoric is part of Trump’s “art-of-the-deal” tactics as a powerful negotiator. Despite the leftist hysteria, however, the Greenland deal framework that is already underway is a testament to the recognition of the strategic importance of the island both for U.S. and European defense. This is also supported by the bare facts, which anti-American media outlets routinely ignore. It would be helpful to summarize these facts.

The official interest of the United States in acquiring Greenland is nothing new — it goes back over 150 years, when, after the purchase of Alaska in 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward emphasized Greenland’s desirable natural resources and strategic ports. A precedent was provided in 1917, when the United States purchased from Denmark the West Indies and renamed them “U.S. Virgin Islands.”

In 1941, the United States signed the “Agreement Relating to the Defense of Greenland” with the Danish Ambassador Henrik Kauffmann. The agreement allowed American control of Greenland, which proved vital in the fight against Nazi Germany during World War II. In 1946, at the start of the Cold War, President Truman offered to purchase Greenland in view of its key location vis-à-vis the Soviet Union. In 1951, the United States and Denmark signed a Defense Agreement, which cemented the U.S. military presence on the island and allowed expansion of U.S. bases.

Greenland belongs to the North American tectonic plate, and its population is predominantly Inuit. It is of vital military importance as an ideal site for missile defense installations, including the proposed Golden Dome. The Pituffik Space Base has been assessed by analysts as a uniquely suitable location for such purposes. Greenland is in proximity to the Russian nuclear plant, missile systems, and naval bases in the Kola Peninsula and is perfectly situated for intercepting potential attacks. Other Russian missiles are estimated to be able to reach the United States in less than 30 minutes, which makes defense of the Arctic a strategic priority.

Furthermore, China has expressed ambitious interests in Greenland’s natural resources, Arctic routes, and various infrastructure projects. The Chinese aspirations for control of the island must remain unfulfilled, given the threat posed by the Chinese communist regime to the survival of the free world and its values as represented by America in particular and Western civilization in general.

The European colonizers of Greenland, notably Denmark and Norway, have not been overly concerned with the well-being of the local population. In the 1960s and 1970s, Denmark tried to forcibly sterilize Greenlandic women by directing Danish physicians to place intrauterine devices in thousands of young women, often without their consent. This was part of a socialist policy to reduce healthcare costs. It is difficult to trust Europe’s sudden sentimental attachment to the island.

At the recent Davos meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte remarked:

[W]e need to defend the Arctic. We know that the sea lanes are opening up. We know that China and Russia are increasingly active in the Arctic. There are eight countries bordering on the Arctic. Seven are a member of NATO, that’s Finland and Sweden and Norway and Denmark, Iceland, Canada and the US. And there’s only one country bordering on the Arctic outside NATO, that’s Russia. And I would argue there is a ninth country, which is China, which is increasingly active in the Arctic region.

The Greenland deal framework discussed in Davos apparently promises broad U.S. access without time limits or the heavy price tag that would have been paid for purchasing the island. Part of the U.S. Golden Dome missile defense system will likely be located in Greenland, and the United States will have access to the island’s rare-earth mineral deposits.

Mark Rutte’s recent statement confirms not only that Trump has been right in emphasizing Greenland’s critical importance for U.S. defense and control of the Arctic but that increasing U.S. military presence in the region is beneficial and vital for both American and European interests:

So, President Trump and other leaders are right. We have to do more there. We have to protect the Arctic against Russian and Chinese influence. And that is exactly what NATO ambassadors decided to do in September. We are working on that, making sure that, collectively, will we defend the Arctic region.

Nora D. Clinton is a Research Scholar at the Legal Insurrection Foundation. She was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. She holds a PhD in Classics and has published extensively on ancient documents on stone. In 2020, she authored the popular memoir Quarantine Reflections Across Two Worlds. Nora is a co-founder of two partner charities dedicated to academic cooperation and American values. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and son.

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