Why Trump is claiming the US ‘needs’ Greenland for Arctic security
By Danica Kirka, The Associated Press
Jan 6, 2026, 10:29 AM
Location, location, location. Greenland’s position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island a key part of security strategy. But for whom?
Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and U.S. President Donald Trump wants to make sure his country controls this mineral-rich island that guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America.
Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally that has rejected Trump’s overtures. Greenland’s own government also opposes U.S. designs on the island, saying the people of Greenland will decide their own future.
The island, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people who until now have been largely ignored by the rest of the world.
Here’s why Greenland is strategically important to Arctic security:
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/01/06/why-trump-is-claiming-the-us-needs-greenland-for-arctic-security/
