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What I Did Not Know About Greenland, Denmark & The USA
Until this week, like most Americans, I viewed Greenland as a picturesque but mostly uninhabited land mass where polar bears frolicked and our Air Force controlled a strategically valuable base.
This Air Force base once went by the name of “Thule” but had recently been renamed Pituffik Space Base.
Receiving a news update in my email recently, I was surprised to discover many things that I did not know about Greenland’s current political situation.
Here is that news update:Denmark Boosts Greenland’s Military Defense Capacity After Trump’s Remarks
By Tom Ozimek December 24, 2024
European news
“The government of Denmark, which controls key aspects of the autonomous territory of Greenland, has announced a major boost to the Arctic island’s defense spending, just hours after President-elect Donald Trump repeated his desire to purchase Greenland, citing security imperatives.
“Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on Dec. 24 that the defense package would amount to at least $1.5 billion, while calling the timing of the spending boost “ironic” in light of Trump’s recent remarks.”
SNIP
“Greenland, which runs its own domestic matters but whose foreign affairs including defense are controlled by Denmark, is strategically important to the United States. The former Danish colony is strategically located about halfway along the shortest route from Europe and Russia to North America. It’s home to a large U.S. space facility and its proximity to the Arctic means that it plays a pivotal role in monitoring and managing Arctic security. The Arctic also serves as the shortest route for intercontinental ballistic missiles traveling between the United States and Russia, elevating Greenland’s importance as a strategic security outpost in the current period of heightened rivalry between global great powers.”
Full article is at link above.
Here is a website page that offers up quite a lot of insight into Greenland’s historical involvement with Denmark:
SNIP
“Despite Greenland’s inhospitable climate, the island has a rich history as the first point of transatlantic contact between the Old and New Worlds that has brought together Inuit and Scandinavian influences since Viking times. It is a history that continues to be written today as the island marches towards nationhood and independence as it attempts to negotiate its identity and role in an increasingly globalized world.”
SNIP
“Before jumping into the history of Greenland’s ownership, it is important to clear up misconceptions about its status. Greenland is a self-governing territory, not a colony of Denmark, and according to NPR, Denmark does not own it. This land has its own prime minister, parliament, and governing institutions. However, it frequently appears on maps as “part” of Denmark.”
My comment: So then I must reconsider my thoughts on Greenland. The place, with its major ties to Denmark, is similar in its political status to Puerto Rico, which is also self-governing despite being a constituent of the United States. (Of course, the climate in Greenland couldn’t be more different than that of Puerto Rico.)
In any event, as I’m thinking the matter over, it seems Trump is not behaving very diplomatically by his acting and speaking as though Greenland is a rough-hewn land of ice of no importance to any other nation and not having its own government.
The following photo is an image of our air base there in Greenland, courtesy of Alamy:
So what do we know about Pituffik Space Base?
From the website of https://www.petersonschriever.spaceforce.mil/Pituffik-SB-Greenland/
Although most Americans know very little, we can easily become educated on the following: “Pituffik Space Base (pronounced bee-doo-FEEK), formerly known as Thule Air Base (pronounced too-lee), is located in Greenland—a country within the Kingdom of Denmark and inhabited by approximately 56,000 people. Greenland covers nearly 840,000 square miles; more than 80 percent is covered either by the ice cap or smaller glaciers. Pituffik SB is locked in by ice nine months out of the year, but the airfield is open and operated year-round.
“Pituffik SB, the DoD’s northernmost installation, is operated by the 821st Space Base Group and part of Space Base Delta 1. Pituffik SB exists today due to agreements between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark, specifically addressing mutual defense. Strategically, Pituffik SB’s “Top of the World” vantage point enables Space Superiority. Pituffik SB supports Missile Warning, Missile Defense and Space Surveillance missions from the solid-state phased-array radar operated by the 12th Space Warning Squadron (12 SWS) and Satellite Command and Control through the Pituffik Tracking Station operated by the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, Detachment 1 (Det-1).”
Full article is at link above.
With this space base offering us a needed route for the deployment of intercontinental ballistic missiles, I hope Trump checks in with Danish leaders before making any more rash proposals. Although our government views Scandinavian nations as being friendly to our interests, Russia sees them the same way.
So Denmark/Greenland is in the situation of an attractive lady who has two suitors rather than only one. I’ve been told by some of the fairest maidens who were BFFs in my distant past that often they chose the suitor who went all out on their behalf rather than the brash suitor who acted as though it was his way or the highway.
Published in Foreign Policy
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I hope he hasn’t been partaking of too much holiday sauce to help him come up with these things.
President Jefferson once had mistaken ideas on how eager other lands would be to become part of the United States. Of course, this was after he had served two terms as President and his successor would have to deal with the consequences of his big mouth:
Vladimir Putin made a similar mistake in February 2022 when he thought the people of Ukraine would be glad to fall into his hands.
I can pronounce Thule. That other thing? Just reverse a couple of vowels, and it’s all a poor, ugly guy is gettin’ in life.
Trump does not drink. It’s all natural testosterone.
I guarantee the spacers stationed there pronounce it differently when the officers are not around.
I thought we maintained a base in Greenland solely to transfer personnel who offended their superiors. Is that a real thing?
@muleskinner?
If Trump thinks the Greenland is strategically important and the Greenlanders aren’t keen on becoming frigid-Americans, why not buy the northern third of the island? Most of the population centers are on the coasts in the lower two thirds. Any stragglers in the northern third would have to relocate or maybe given special green (see what I did there!) cards to stay in the American territory.
It wouldn’t hurt to ask, I suppose, but what if he’s told it’s not for sale?
That’s only the opening to negotiations.
And what would we think is a reasonable price? Would $200 billion be about right? It would be interesting to watch Trump try to get that through Congress when he’s been complaining about $175 billion we’ve spent on Ukraine, which if we see it through is probably buying us a lot more effective defense for less money.
(Some say it’s less than $175 billion that we’ve spent on Ukraine, but I’m going with a higher number done by people who are at least making some effort to do the math.)
The testosterone is aided by the ample amount of diet colas he imbibes all day long.
It must work for him – he has out energized the Energizer bunny during the long grueling months of his campaign.
I thought trumps plan would be that Denmark would be paying us. We’d be the ones coming in and making all the capital improvements. Offering US citizenship to any locals who want it. Upgrading all the infrastructure. Who knows, maybe a casino or two. Denmark saves money, we say you’re welcome.
And who wouldn’t want to help pay off the US debt? Nobody I can think of.
Most media outlets mention Trump wanting to purchase Greenland.
Of course most media outlets are often very wrong about their assessment of All Matters Trump. (After all we do remember Hillary Clinton beating him with an 89% approval by American voters in Nov 2016, just as the trad media Talking Heads said she would.)
This from The LA Times, via AL news outlet —
How did this idea even come up?
The president-elect’s unexpected comment came Sunday as he was announcing his choice for U.S. envoy to Copenhagen, PayPal co-founder Ken Howery. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that “America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” citing “purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World.”
How did Greenland’s government respond?
Somewhat crisply. On Monday, its elected leader, Prime Minister Mute Egede, said in a statement that Greenland “is not for sale and will never be for sale.” But the prime minister also said Greenland “must continue to be open to cooperation and trade with the whole world, especially our neighbors.”
How did Trump’s 2019 idea play out?
When Trump made his initial real-estate overture, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed Trump’s offer as “absurd.” The then-president termed that response “nasty” and called off a planned state visit to Denmark.
Still, the idea of such a purchase was not unprecedented. The United States had made several similar forays, dating to the 1860s, all of them short-lived.
Full article at this link: https://www.al.com/news/2024/12/why-does-trump-want-the-us-to-buy-greenland-could-it-happen.html
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My comment: I’d love to see Trump getting Denmark paying us to take Greenland. I just haven’t noticed the media stating that Trump has suggested this out loud.
Maybe Denmark could pay us to take Tivoli Garden in Copenhagen as well. The USA already has so many militarily strategic spots. Maybe it is time for us to start collecting parks and recreational sites as well.
Oh and inside this article,”The LA Times” reporter managed to posit that the coming Global Climate crisis with its cascades of rising ocean waters will soon be diminishing Greenland’s value as a military asset. I hope that newspaper’s editor warns Zuckerberg and Oprah in Hawaii, and Obama on the East Coast, that it might be time to sell their real estate for pennies on the dollar before it is too late.
Yeah, that’s one of those things, “I might think climate change is something serious when rich people stop buying beachfront mansions and flying on private jets to climate conferences.”
It seemed to be the case when I was there. Don’t know if it was exactly true or not, but Sondrestrom AFB was claimed to be a punishment station. I’m sure it felt like that to those personnel stationed there. When we showed in April, the chain of command technically was the base commander who was a colonel, a major, and then me and a handful of other civilians who were made Air Force captains on the strength of an MOU between the DOD and NSF. The base chaplain could out-cuss any sailor I ever met. A grade-A alcoholic, who had problems with the Greenland version of prohibition (one imperial gallon a week for hard liquor, and no limit on beer and wine). I’m told that his next duty station was the chaplain at a terminal cancer ward in San Antonio. I’ve often wondered how many generals he offended and what the sermon was about.
There were some good guys on base. A supply sergeant who I must have helped with something, sent me a surplus winter flyer’s helmet, and a pair of bear paw mittens, when he heard that some of my gear went missing (it wasn’t, but it was nice that someone was looking out for those of us who spent most of out time out on the ice, if not actually camping in the snow).
Somebody should show them that famous meme of Plymouth Rock in 1607 and Plymouth Rock today, exactly the same water level.
Come to think of it, there’s another one that shows the famous statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen that shows the same thing. You’d think they might have noticed that one.
This is Trump using his laser pointer, and the media cats are chasing it. Well played, Mr. President-Elect . . .
Everything is for sale. Everything.
Reading your story makes me think the following:
Trump just handed off the cost to Denmark, of significantly boosting the military budget and protection of a strategically important little country to us (in case of an issue with Russia ) with one off-handed remark!
Also he is keeping an eye (I am guessing) on the very important minerals in the Artic waters which both China and Russia want to control –
I think he is in a roundabout way getting Europe on its toes…(and staying within the new DOGE budget)….great post!
The percent of GDP that Denmark spends on defense is lower than the NATO median (though higher than Germany’s or Canada’s), but I wonder if Denmark doesn’t spend a higher percentage of its defense spending on military aid to Ukraine than average. I sometimes get that impression from the Ukraine news, but I don’t have numbers.
I’m not so sure about that photo from 1620.
I think so, too.
Duh! I had not thought of that accomplishment at all! (Slap to forehead.)
Once again Trump wins.
I’m still sweating whether Trudeau will call Trump’s bluff and turn Congress into a totally Marxist cesspool.
Yeah. That would be the downside of Canada as the fifty-first state.
Not until Ukraine fights off Russian aggression for good.
No on this particular issue, regarding the Ukraine, he won.
It remains to be seen what will happen in The Ukraine once he is inaugurated. On Edit: In Reply 30, The Reticulator nudged me into realizing I meant to write: “No on this particular issue, regarding Greenland, Trump won.”
Then we don’t know yet whether he won or was a loser. If he was a loser, we have an expensive national security problem that we could have fixed on the cheap.