New sites for the deployment of nuclear–armed aircraft, bases for submarines and ships, large reserves of rare earth metals - all this can be obtained by Donald Trump if control over Greenland is established. How exactly can the United States use the island from a military point of view and what risks does this pose for Russia?
The United States is creating an airfield infrastructure in Greenland for F-35 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons. This was stated by Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin. He recalled that the Pituffik US military space base located on the island (until 2023 - Tula) is an element of the American missile attack early warning system.
"Its comprehensive modernization is underway, including a radar station worth billions of US dollars. An airfield infrastructure is also being created there for F-35 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Such fighters have already used the base's airfield during US Air Force exercises," he told RIA Novosti.
In recent years, the United States has been increasingly active in the Arctic. In November last year, Nikolai Patrushev, assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and chairman of the Russian Maritime Board, said that Western countries were increasing their military presence near Russia's borders in the Arctic to strengthen their positions in the struggle for resources.
"Western countries are increasing their military presence in high latitudes, near the borders of our country, to strengthen their own positions in the context of increasing global competition for Arctic resources and spaces," TASS quoted him as saying. "Despite the apparent stability, the situation in the Arctic is characterized by an increase in negative trends."
Alexander Moiseev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, also spoke about this problem. He noted that NATO countries are working out ways to use troops in the difficult climatic conditions of the Arctic, expand the area of operational use of the Navy in the Arctic Ocean, increase the work of all types of intelligence, and also pay attention to conducting large-scale operations involving NATO naval forces.
As for the northernmost US base, Pituffik Space Base, 200 people are currently serving there, the US Department of Defense newspaper Stars and Stripes reports. The base also has a missile attack warning system. The strategic importance of this facility is such that in the event of a nuclear conflict, it would become one of the first targets for Russian weapons, analysts at The Warzone project add.
In 2023, four fifth-generation F-35s aircraft were deployed at the base for the first time. They took part in joint maneuvers with Canada. "Our ability to operate in the Arctic is critically important to our ability to protect our homelands," US Air Force General Glen Vanherk said at the time, quoted by Air and Space Forces.
In addition, as the Danish press noted, with the expansion of the runways and infrastructure, the base could become a strategically important facility for long-range bomber and fighter squadrons of the United States, as it was during the Cold War, when up to 10,000 soldiers were stationed on the territory of Tula.
It is also noteworthy that the base is located about 2,000 km from the Russian archipelago of Franz Josef Land, where the Russian military base Arctic Trefoil is located. It hosts a tactical group of the Northern Fleet, as well as radar units, coastal missile and anti-aircraft systems, as well as aviation.
According to experts, another geographical feature of the base is that it is located 15 km closer to Moscow than to Washington. And if we assume that the US authorities will expand military and political control over the whole of Greenland, saturating it with new military facilities and modern types of weapons, this poses a threat not only to the Arctic regions of Russia, but also to the central regions of the country.
"Another challenge for us may be the deployment of reconnaissance and surveillance facilities for our underwater forces on the territory of Greenland," says military expert, Captain 1st Rank Vasily Dandykin.
Also, taking into account the development of artificial intelligence and drones, the United States can simplify its exploration in the Arctic using new technologies. "These can be aerial, surface and underwater vehicles combined into a single system for searching and detecting submarines," suggested military expert Alexei Leonkov.
According to Dandykin, the Americans could create submarine bases in Greenland. "Our Northern Fleet in the Arctic is located in rather unfavorable conditions, but nevertheless it is there. Americans can afford it too, playing the Arctic card to the fullest," he said.
"If the Americans start creating an icebreaking fleet to support warships, then Greenland may have an advanced base for ensuring tight control of the North Atlantic by surface ships up to the zone of our interests and borders," Leonkov argues.
It is possible that the United States will decide to deploy medium-range missiles in Greenland, similar to how it will be done in Germany from 2026. "But for such a step, the States need to find reliable sources of electricity. But even if we are talking about local military facilities, the Americans are already able to power them," Leonkov added.
It is also likely that Greenland may play a special role in the US missile defense system.
"Given the new Russian weapons, the United States has seriously considered how to build a more reliable missile defense system. For this, Greenland is needed by the States like air. New air bases may also be located there to control the airspace in the North Atlantic," he said.
At the same time, the United States may gain control over key logistics routes that run through Canada and Greenland: first of all, the so-called Northwest Passage, which may become an alternative to the Russian Northern Sea Route.
And of course, Americans are interested in access to the island's natural resources, which can be used directly and indirectly for the development of the military industry, says Leonkov. In particular, according to the European Commission, 25 of the 34 most important raw materials can be found in Greenland. Americans think a little differently: according to the US government, the island has reserves of 43 out of 50 "critical" minerals and 3% of the world's oil reserves, writes The Economist.
"Given all these data, we are well aware that the likely expansion of the US and NATO presence in the Arctic, given the recent accession of Sweden and Finland to the alliance, is primarily directed against Moscow, not against Beijing – China is far away, and Russia is on the shores of the ocean and the northern seas. And we need to actively prepare for this confrontation," Dandykin concluded.
Department of Politics of the business newspaper VZGLYAD
