President-elect Donald Trump recently turned the attention of national security officials to an often overlooked geographic feature: Greenland.
Trump’s comments It was enough to start a long-overdue conversation about the semi-autonomous region owned by Denmark, where retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis is from. served as The Supreme Commander of NATO Allied Forces called:Strategic gold mine for the US” Stavridis said both literally and figuratively.
President Trump has probably done something that many so-called national security experts have never considered. It’s like looking down on the earth from above. The traditional US-centric view does not tell the whole story or provide the appropriate perspective. top-down perspective We uncover key observations that reveal the wisdom of focusing on geographic features that have been ignored for too long. (Related: JD FOSTER: President Trump should pursue tariffs and abandon the World Trade Organization)
Greenland and the entire Arctic region are generally thought of as simply rugged and quaint places. But their importance is as follows.
It is properly elevated as a fundamental element of the national security and economic interests of the United States. Trump did just that.
From a perspective centered on the North Pole, you can see that Greenland is the largest landform in the Arctic region. As a result, it holds outsized strategic importance in controlling land, sea, air, underwater, and space areas over significant portions of the Earth. Appropriate use of Greenland’s landmass creates opportunities for multidimensional control over the entire region.
This same perspective reveals extensive trade routes when considering suitable climatic conditions and ice-breaking capabilities. It provides a maritime shortcut between the east and west coasts of the United States, as well as aiding trade between Europe and Asia.
Yemen’s Houthis have reminded the world of an important economic truth. Blocking transportation along important trade routes could have ripple effects on the global economy. The suffocation of passing through the Red Sea Shipping costs tripled It has spread from Asia to the East Coast of the United States, creating enormous global inflationary pressures. If a nation were able to control and restrict navigation in the Arctic Ocean, these negative impacts would be dwarfed.
The View from the North Pole also enlightens viewers about the unexpected proximity between Russia and North America. The Atlantic’s protective buffer does not tell the whole story, and the distance between the United States and Canada and its adversary Russia is much shorter than otherwise understood.
Through this literal worldview, the importance of Greenland is highlighted. This is especially true when it is properly seen as the main barrier between Russia and the East Coast of the United States. This kind of positioning is US Space Force posture The island has an early warning radar and space control system installed to protect against strategic surprise attacks.
President Trump’s strong statements regarding the appropriate economic and strategic use of Greenland reflect such a strategic orientation. These statements are also a natural extension of his legitimate insistence that European NATO members pay their fair share in meeting collective defense requirements.
While the United States has a laudable 75-year history of supporting European and collective security, fair sharing also means that America’s European allies must support North American security. It begins with Greenland and continues its strong strategic focus on the Arctic region.
None of this addresses the Arctic region’s largely untapped and abundant natural resources, from oil and natural gas to precious metals and rare earth minerals, which are desperately needed to sustain a thriving modern global economy. is needed. Calling it a gold mine is no exaggeration.
Trump’s comments not only caught our attention, but also the attention of Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede. Egede passionately declared that this was his territory. Ready to strengthen collaboration Cooperate with the United States on natural resources and security initiatives.
Thus, with just a few words based on a properly oriented security perspective, Trump is already motivating and fostering cooperation that can mine gold for America’s national interests.
Brigadier General John Teichert (retired) of the United States Air Force is a prolific author and leading expert on foreign affairs and military strategy. He served as commander of Andrews Air Force Base and Joint Base Edwards Air Force, served as a senior U.S. defense official in Iraq, and recently retired as assistant secretary of the Air Force for international affairs. General Teichert maintains a robust media relations schedule and his activities can best be followed at johntaichert.com and LinkedIn. General Teichert can be contacted at: reichert@alum.mit.edu.
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