Last Friday, Vice President JD Vance made the highest-profile case to date for American control of Greenland during a controversial visit to the semiautonomous island, which its residents had resisted and its leaders said was unwelcome.

“We want to have good relationships with everybody,” Vance said during a visit to an American military installation high above the Arctic Circle. “But part of having good relations is showing your strength when you have to.”

It was the clearest message yet to Greenlanders, who have been watching with anxiety as President Donald Trump vows to acquire their land “one way or another.” Vance, who only decided in the last few days to make the trip, said Denmark had neglected its territory and that America could no longer ignore Russian and Chinese alleged designs on the island.

“Our message to Denmark is very simple,” Vance said. “You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.” He repeatedly claimed the island was vulnerable and that the United States had “no other option” than to ramp up its presence there.

Greenland would be better off “coming under the United States’ security umbrella than you have been under Denmark’s security umbrella,” he said, saying it was the “policy of the United States” to see changes to the island’s Danish leadership.

Today, we’ll explore why America wants Greenland and how will it could play out from here.

A Little Background About Greenland

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1953, Denmark formally added what was then its colony to the kingdom. The Greenlandic government has authority over Greenland's internal affairs such as the economy, social services, and infrastructure, while Denmark is responsible for the island's foreign affairs, defense, citizenship, currency, and monetary policy. The Danish Supreme Court is the final court of appeal.

Under Danish law, Greenlandic independence is possible at any time based on the Self-Government Act of 2009, after a referendum in Greenland and approval by the Danish parliament. Others question this, arguing that an amendment of the Danish Constitution is required.

Denmark has sovereignty over Greenland; private land ownership does not exist. Any agreement to allow for independence would transfer sovereignty from Denmark. The Greenlandic government declared in February 2024 that independence is its goal, and independence is expected to be the most important issue at the April 2025 Greenlandic general election.

The position of the Danish government is that it is up to Greenland to decide its own future, and that Denmark would respect a Greenlandic referendum on independence. The Danish government reluctantly agreed in 2017 to finance two new airports, replacing potential Chinese investors, even though the investments sought by the island are viewed as preparing for independence.

Additionally, Greenland gives Denmark a role in the Arctic; it is a member of the Arctic Council and as one of the five Arctic littoral states, a signatory to the Ilulissat Declaration.

Greenland does not possess its own military. As a territory of Denmark, the Danish military is responsible for Greenland's defense and the island is within the area overseen by the NATO military alliance. Denmark in December 2024 announced plans to build up its military presence in Greenland with more personnel, patrol ships, long-range drones, and upgrading an airport to handle Danish F-35 fighter aircraft. This followed American demands for more Danish defense spending, including by the first Trump administration.

The United States "accepted the legal obligation to defend against any attack" on Greenland in a 1951 treaty with Denmark. It has had bases there since the Second World War and has the largest military in the alliance.

The 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement allowed the United States to keep its military bases in Greenland, and to establish new bases or "defense areas" if deemed necessary by NATO. The U.S. military could freely use and move between these defense areas, but was not to infringe upon Danish sovereignty in Greenland. The treaty gave the United States permanent jurisdiction over the defense areas of Thule, Sondrestrom and Narsarsuaq.

As of 2025, the only U.S. military base in Greenland is Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base). The 2004 Igaliku Agreement stated that Thule Air Base was the only U.S. defense area in Greenland and that the U.S. must inform Denmark and Greenland of any proposed changes. Thus, the U.S. cannot increase its military presence without consent from Denmark and Greenland.

The island's largest private industry is fishing. Covering an area of 2,166,086 km2, it has vast natural resources, including uranium, rare-earth minerals, and estimated 50 billion barrels of offshore oil and gas. Greenland has only one operating mine and little infrastructure, however; it has one commercial international airport, and no roads connect the 17 towns.

Has the US Tried to Purchase Greenland Before?

Since the 19th century, the United States has considered, and made, several attempts to purchase the island of Greenland from Denmark, as it did with the Danish West Indies in 1917. There were notable internal discussions within the U.S. federal government about acquiring Greenland in 1867, 1910, 1946, 1955, 2019, and 2025, and acquisition has been advocated by American secretaries of state William H. Seward and James F. Byrnes, privately by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, and publicly by President Donald Trump, among others.

After World War II, the United States secretly offered to buy Greenland; there was public discussion about purchasing the island during Trump's first term in 2019 and again after Trump's 2024 reelection, as part of his American expansionism policy.

While Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenlandic and Danish authorities have publicly asserted Greenland's right to self-determination and stated that Greenland is "not for sale". Many Greenlanders support independence, and many Danes see the historical ties with Greenland as an integral part of Danish national identity.

The United States has long viewed Greenland as vital to national security. In the early 20th century, it included Greenland among several European possessions in the Western Hemisphere to preemptively seize and fortify in the event of a threatened attack on the US. During World War II, the US invoked its Monroe Doctrine and occupied Greenland to prevent use by Germany following the German occupation of Denmark.

The US military remained in Greenland after the war, and by 1948, Denmark abandoned attempts to persuade the US to leave. The following year, both countries became members of the NATO military alliance. A 1951 treaty gave the US a significant role in Greenland's defense, and, about 1953, construction began on Thule military base, now known as Pituffik Space Base, located in northwest Greenland. The US military frequently takes part in NATO exercises in Greenlandic waters.

Why Does the US Want Greenland?

Defense of the Mainland United States. An acquisition of Greenland would give the United States control of an island that it sees as crucial to its defense. Reuters described Greenland in October 2020 as "a security black hole" for the United States and allies, and said its 27,000 miles (44,000 km) of coastline was difficult to monitor. "On several occasions since 2006, foreign vessels have turned up unexpectedly or without the necessary protocols, in waters that NATO-member Denmark aims to defend", the news agency reported.

Detection of foreign vessels, including a Russian submarine, has often been by chance. A potential security threat are Russian ships believed to have the ability to tap undersea cables or sever them during a conflict.

A 2021 study by the RAND Corporation expressed concern that Greenland "could be seduced into Russia's or China's orbit" were it to attain independence from Denmark. Speaking in 2025, Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard of the Danish Institute of International Studies said that the United States had legitimate security concerns in Greenland that Denmark had persistently failed to adequately safeguard. Russia is much more capable of Arctic land combat than the United States, and Greenland may be vulnerable to invasion.

Control of the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap. The United States views control of the GIUK Gap (Greenland–Iceland–UK Gap), as critical to the maritime defense of the Eastern United States, and unimpeded access to Greenland as necessary for control of the gap. A wartime priority of the United States is to "close the gap", or prevent an adversary navy from exiting the Norwegian Sea and approaching the United States.

In 1957, the United States led Exercise Strikeback, the largest peacetime naval exercise in history, focused on stopping an aggressive "Orange Fleet" from transiting the gap, which was to be accomplished by means of a naval blockade involving hundreds of warships. During much of the Cold War, the importance of closing the gap was to prevent Soviet SSBNs from sailing to within firing range of Washington, D.C. and New York City.

With the improvement of Soviet—and, later, Russian—missile ranges, the importance of gap control lessened, however, again became a priority in the early 21st century as the threat of hybrid warfare increased. Russia increased naval activity there, as part of greatly expanding its Arctic presence. It has increased cooperation with China, which wants a Polar Silk Road. NATO annually undertakes exercise Northern Viking and in 2024, involved the United States Sixth Fleet, the Standing Naval Forces, the Icelandic Police and Icelandic Coast Guard, focused on responding to a threat against the integrity of the gap.

Security of Air Approaches. Greenlandic airspace is considered by the United States as vital to the air defense of itself and Canada. The United States has demanded Denmark provide better airspace surveillance over Greenland and, in 2022, a study by RAND suggested integrating Greenland into the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) as a means of mitigating the inadequacies of Danish air defenses.

Stability of Space Defense Programs. Contemporary military operations have become dependent on polar-orbiting satellite. According to SpaceNews, addressing the matter of Greenland, "any satellite in a polar or sun-synchronous orbit, such as those in critical communications, imagery and weather monitoring constellations, requires an Arctic ground station for consistent tracking, telemetry, and control throughout every revolution." The United States Space Force base in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base, is one of only two Arctic facilities available to the United States, the other being Clear Space Force Station in Alaska. The potential loss of Pituffik Space Base following the independence of Greenland would leave the United States with no redundancy and, according to SpaceNews, "have serious consequences for both a future conflict and business as usual in orbit.”

Offensive Basing. In addition to again permanently basing USAF fighters and bombers on Greenland, the United States might station long-range missiles there, similar to its plans in western Europe.

Access to Natural Resources. The United States may gain access to vast amounts of natural resources including petroleum and rare minerals. The United States Geological Survey estimates 17.5 billion barrels of offshore crude oil and 4.19 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. The island has the largest deposits of rare-earth elements outside China. Two thirds of the planet's fresh water outside Antarctica are frozen in Greenland, and its rock flour has unusually strong ability for soil regeneration and direct air capture of carbon.

Experts predict that 5% of global shipping could use Arctic shipping routes by 2050. Climate change may, by 2030, make the Northern Sea Route the first of the routes to be ice-free, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and making Greenland's resources more accessible. The Northwest Passage is 4,300 miles (6,900 km) or four days shorter from the US east coast to Asia, and US west coast to Europe, than the Panama Canal; such routes are three fifths of traffic through the canal.

Territorial Expansion. If Greenland became part of the United States, the U.S. would become the second-largest country in the world by area, after Russia (displacing Canada). It would be the largest territorial acquisition in American history, slightly larger than the Louisiana Purchase. Trump reportedly views a Greater United States as both vital to national security, and a way to strengthen his historical legacy as president akin to how predecessor William McKinley acquired new territory for the United States.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Make Greenland Great Again Act. On January 13, 2025, legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Andy Ogles to authorize the U.S. government to acquire Greenland on behalf of the United States, granting to Congress a 60-day review period prior to integration of Greenlandic territory into the United States.

Red, White and Blueland Act of 2025. On 10 February 2025, Representative Buddy Carter introduced a legislation which would rename Greenland to "Red, White, and Blueland" and allow US President Donald Trump to "purchase or otherwise acquire" Greenland.

How would America govern Greenland? Barry Scott Zellen, a scholar of Arctic strategy at the United States Coast Guard Academy, suggested Greenland could become an organized and unincorporated territory of the United States but with a clear pathway to eventual admission as a constituent state "not unlike that which Alaska followed". According to Zellen, "Greenlandic Inuit, who suffer from a long legacy of neglect and whose colonial experience, despite recent gains in autonomy, has not been entirely positive, may indeed stand to benefit in many ways" from this arrangement.

Purchase price estimates. The Financial Times's FT Alphaville estimated a $1.1 trillion price for the territory. Its sum-of-the-parts analysis valued potential oil fields at $300 billion to $400 billion, rare-earth minerals at $500 billion to $700 billion, and real estate at $200 billion to $220 billion.

War Plans. During a 8 January 2025 press conference at The Pentagon, Sabrina Singh declined to answer the question of a reporter who asked "Are there plans to take Greenland by force if ordered to do so?" saying she would defer comments on the matter to "the incoming administration." Asked on 14 January by Senator Mazie Hirono about the potential use of military force to integrate Greenland into the United States, Pete Hegseth—then presumptive nominee for United States Secretary of Defense—stated he would not provide details in a public forum.

According to defense researcher Kristian Søby Kristensen of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark "cannot defend Greenland against anybody on its own" and the Danish armed forces "are neither equipped nor trained to resist a U.S. invasion." Gad commented that a United States military-backed acquisition of Greenland would "be the shortest war in the world, there is no defensive capacity in Greenland." Marc Jacobsen, a professor at the Royal Danish Defense College, opined that "the US has de facto control [of Greenland] already." It is a legal uncertainty if Denmark could invoke NATO's mutual defense clause to repel an attack undertaken by another NATO state.

Here at A Dream Reimagined, our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism to empower you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. We’re committed to covering the stories that matter most to you - threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and rising polarization. The best way to support us on our mission is by becoming an ADR member or by making a tax-deductible gift through PayPal or GoFundMe today. Since A Dream Reimagined is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, you can deduct the price of your subscription or donation as a charitable contribution, under IRC Section 170.