The United States has not just compelled European members of NATO to substantially increase military spending but has also threatened to take control of an ally’s territory for national security, Denmark’s semi-autonomous Greenland. During World War II, the United States invaded Greenland following the Nazi occupation of Denmark and has maintained military interests on the island ever since.
“We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” Trump said in an address to Congress in March.
Subsequently, during his visit to Greenland, US Vice President JD Vance set aside diplomatic norms, stating, “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.”
The people of Greenland overwhelmingly voted for independence with the gradualist Demokraatit Party that opposes becoming part of the United States winning the most parliamentary seats. Rejecting Washington’s “pressure and threats,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark stated that “you cannot annex another country.”
Longstanding US Interests
Following the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1866 for $7.2 million, US Secretary of State William H. Seward proposed Denmark and the UK to sell Greenland and Canada respectively for security reasons. After a referendum, Denmark concluded a treaty with the United States in January 1917, selling a cluster of its Caribbean islands —now called the US Virgin Islands — for $25 million in gold coin. In 1910, the United States tried to swap the Philippines’ Mindanao and Palawan islands with Denmark for Greenland. The US envoy’s proposal was ignored again.
Since World War II, US troops have remained in Greenland, first prompted by the threat of Nazi aggression and then “as long as there was a threat to North America,” as per a bilateral agreement between Copenhagen and Washington in 1943.
The most serious offer came from President Harry Truman after the Cold War in 1946. Though Denmark rejected a $1 billion bid for the world’s largest island, it consented to the continuation of the US military presence and conditional NATO membership. Shying away from full military integration, it did not consent to house bases on the mainland territory, no nuclear warheads and no military activity on Danish territory. Greenland was exempted from the base reservation policy, where Copenhagen allowed the permanent peacetime stationing of US forces on its territory. Going forward, Denmark not only participated in NATO wargames but also hosted them. An early-warning radar system was stationed at Thule Air Base in 1951 but more recently the facility was renamed Pituffik Space Base under the command of the US Space Force.
Denmark’s Sovereignty Over Greenland
Denmark first took control of the ice-covered island in 1262 and later reclaimed it in 1721. It has been integrated into Denmark since 1814, though direct rule ended in 1979 in favor of partial autonomy, resulting in the establishment of its own Parliament. The world’s largest island, spanning over 2.1 million square kilometers, has unexploited natural resources including rare earth minerals, copper, gold, uranium and oil alongside an abundance of marine life. In exchange for budgetary subsidies up to 60%, Greenland leaves its defense and foreign affairs to Denmark, managing its own domestic affairs. Greenlanders overwhelmingly seek independence but with a caveat of a “right time.” Denmark has a symbolic military presence on the island due to little threat perception. For decades, US troops stationed in Greenland have far surpassed the Danish military footprint. A 1968 plane crash led to the revelation of a US-built underground nuclear arms storage facility, including a nuclear reactor, the construction of which had started without Danish approval. Nuclear warheads on their soil were neither acceptable to the Danish people nor the Folketing, and their existence was a violation of Copenhagen’s conditions of joining NATO.
The Surprise UK Factor
An interesting twist emerges in Greenland’s sale prospects with the fact that the UK has the first right of purchase if and when Denmark decides to sell Greenland. Experts say that Denmark signed the agreement with the United States for the sale of the Danish West Indies or the US Virgin Islands in 1917 in exchange for recognition of Danish sovereignty over Greenland. It was also agreed that if Denmark ever decided to sell Greenland, Great Britain — a superpower at the time — was to get first right of refusal due to the island’s geographical and ethnic proximity to Canada (then a British colony). Today, the UK is a smaller partner and player on the geopolitical stage, hence it is keeping its cards close to its chest. London is not making its right of first refusal public as yet but does stand firmly behind Denmark’s sovereignty over the island.
Enter the Trump World Order
The new US government perceives increasing Chinese interest in Greenland amidst the thawing Arctic Ocean and the opening of waterways for longer periods than years prior. From the ports of Europe to Asia, the shipping time is reduced to 14 days — bypassing the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean — while the maritime transit time from the northeastern ports of the United States to Asia lessens to 20 days. Russian and Chinese naval vessels will have unprecedented mobility in these waters too, raising the significance of the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap for surveillance and defense. Since these countries are NATO members, there is no hurdle to enhancing security measures.
Being a NATO territory, Greenland poses no threat to US interests. US bases on the island continue to function smoothly with the only caveat that Denmark remains opposed to the deployment of nuclear warheads on its soil. Since the US president aspires to develop and deploy the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, this would entail the installation of defense systems to the United States’ forward defense posts, including Alaska and Greenland. Until the new missile defense system is developed and commissioned, the Pentagon may want to deploy nuclear weapons in Greenland, which are currently prohibited. Even under US pressure, the Folketing would find it arduous to reverse its position.
Moreover, the United States’ quest for natural resources, especially critical rare earth minerals vital for developing technologies of the future, adds further complexity. Under the EU’s environmental laws, mining for natural resources is strictly regulated, which conflicts with the approach of the current US government. Though EU jurisdiction does not extend to Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Nuuk has a partnership with Brussels, adopting the same environmental standards under its legislation.
To appease Trump, the Folketing is considering a defense cooperation deal with the United States that would grant its military broad access to station troops and store equipment on the soil of mainland Denmark for 10 years. As the debate continues, the final vote is expected by the end of June.
