The Trump administration wants Greenland.
Greenland has legally been Danish since 1721, when title to land was given through discovery, possession and administration.
Remember the Plymouth Colony? Greenland is a Danish territory. Its citizens are citizens of Denmark and the European Union. They vote, negotiate business deals independent of Denmark and are free to vote for independence from Denmark.
The United States and Denmark have been staunch military allies for more than 80 years. After 9/11, Denmark sent thousands of troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, Denmark lost as many soldiers, per capita, as the United States. When the United States has called, Denmark has stepped up.
The Trump administration’s claim is based on the fact that Greenland is critical to the western world’s missile defense, a view shared by Denmark and the rest of NATO.
However, U.S. ownership is not necessary for Greenland’s defense.
The United States and Denmark have had a close military relationship since WWII, with Greenland a linchpin in that relationship.
A U.S.-Denmark defense agreement, created in 1951 and updated in 2004, gives the United States the right to build military bases, house troops and control movements of ships and aircraft across Greenland and its waters.
U.S. troops in Greenland peaked in 1965 at about 10,000, decreasing to about 150 service members in 2025.
U.S.-Denmark agreements already give the United States what it needs to defend Greenland.
NATO’s Arctic Seven – the United States, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland – are serious about Arctic security and can be much more effective together than the United States acting alone.
Peter Jepsen
Sequim