Greenland – An Arctic Fortification Against China and Russia?

President Donald Trump wants to control Greenland. He sees the island as strategically necessary to defending the Arctic against Russia and China, both of which have grown their military operations in area. By way of background, Greenland is a territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, but it’s responsible for its foreign relations, homeland defense, and finances. The population of Greenland is between 56,700 and 57,000, with nearly 90% being native Greenlandic Inuit, similar to the Alaskan Inuit (often called Eskimos). The Danish Government supports Greenland financially with a block grant averaging $647 million annually, or about $10,800 per person.

Greenland – An Old American Dream

You may think President Trump’s desire for Greenland is a recent turn of events. It is not. As Forbes magazine explained, the US military arrived in Greenland in 1941 to shore up defenses against German submarine operations during World War II. “Denmark and the U.S. reached an agreement in 1951 that allowed the American military to construct Thule Air Base on Greenland’s northwest coast, about 750 miles from the North Pole…,” Forbes reported. Furthermore, in 1946, the US State Department offered Denmark $100 million to purchase Greenland. The offer was politely declined, but not until Denmark gave the idea some thought. Even the post-World War II proposition was not the first US attempt to get Greenland. In the 1860s, the Department of State gave careful consideration to acquiring Greenland when it was reported that the island was rich in minerals and fishing was extraordinarily good.

At the peak of the Cold War, the US had numerous bases in Greenland associated with the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line stations to detect Intercontinental Ballistic Missile attacks from the Soviet Union. The primary installation in Greenland was Thule Air Base, renamed Pituffik Space Base and assigned to the US Space Force, which, in its prime, supported up to 10,000 people. Today, Pituffik is the only active US military installation in Greenland, with a population of 150-200 permanent service members. It still supports missile warning, surveillance, and associated missions.

The Threat Is Real

Trump is right that the threat from Russia and China is real. At a Swedish national security conference, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, explained that the Russians and the Chinese are conducting surveys essential to military operations in the Arctic region. According to Defense News, Grynkewich told the conference attendees: “It’s not for peaceful purposes… They’re not studying the seals and the polar bears. They’re out there doing bathymetric surveys and trying to figure out how they can counter NATO capabilities on and under the sea.”

Additionally, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service, in its Intelligence Outlook 2025, explained: “Russia is under pressure from, among other things, Western sanctions and will therefore seek to deepen its Arctic cooperation with China and allow China greater access to the Russian Arctic.”

Getting Greenland into the hands of the US is not going to be easy. The Danish and Greenland governments are strongly opposed. There are ongoing discussions between US and Danish officials to iron out a mutually agreeable solution that allows the US to do what it needs to do for national security reasons. The island’s geography makes an undeniable case for Greenland serving as a fortress against Russian and Chinese military operations in the Arctic.

1. President Donald Trump thinks Greenland would be useful to US national security – and he’s right.
2. The US interest in acquiring Greenland actually goes back to before World War II.
3. Russia and China are increasing their military presence in the Arctic.