A Planes, a Boat and 16 Dogs: Mapping Trump’s Greenland Ambitions

Why It Matters

Trump’s Greenland overture could destabilize U.S.–Denmark ties and fuel Arctic rivalry, while reminding policymakers that strategic control, not sovereignty, drives security in the high‑north.

Key Takeaways

• Cold War left US with dozens of Greenland bases
• Trump proposes ownership to secure Arctic missile defense
• Current US presence limited to under 200 soldiers at one base
• Historical nuclear weapons storage violated Denmark’s zero‑nuke policy
• Arctic environment challenges any large‑scale US military expansion

Summary

The video follows a reporter’s three‑day trek across Greenland by plane, dog sled and boat to examine President Trump’s renewed push to claim the island for the United States.

It recounts how, during the Cold War, the U.S. operated up to 17 bases and housed roughly 10,000 troops in Greenland, maintaining radars, weather stations and secret nuclear weapons, a fact concealed from Denmark until a 1968 B‑52 crash exposed the violation.

The narrator highlights Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile‑defense concept and his claim that ownership is essential for Arctic security, while noting the logistical nightmare of operating in Greenland’s harsh climate—illustrated by loading sixteen sled dogs onto a boat.

The piece argues that the U.S. already has legal access to Greenlandic facilities, so outright ownership would risk diplomatic friction with Denmark and intensify competition with Russia, underscoring the strategic and resource stakes of the Arctic.

Original Description

President Trump’s insistence that the U.S. must own Greenland for national security has put the Arctic island at the heart of one of the most serious conflicts between Washington and its trans-Atlantic European allies in decades.

However, a 1951 defense treaty between the U.S., Greenland and Denmark—which controls the island—already allows the American military to build bases and station troops there.

WSJ’s Sune Engel Rasmussen traveled to eastern Greenland, traversing remote icy expanses for days by plane, fishing boat and dogsled, to reach one of the abandoned American military bases from World War II.