FT: Greenlanders reject US invasion threat, insisting island is uninvadable

Greenlanders are firmly asserting that an invasion of their remote island, despite its growing geopolitical importance, is entirely unfeasible.

This comes amid increasing international focus on the Arctic region, where climate change is making shipping routes and mineral resources more accessible, Caliber.Az reports via Financial Times.

The US has expressed growing interest in the territory, with Vice President JD Vance declaring Greenland “really important” for national security, citing sea lanes used by both China and Russia.

However, locals in Greenland argue that their harsh terrain and sparse population make the idea of an invasion highly unrealistic. Lynge, a founder of Inuit Ataqatigiit, Greenland’s largest political party, commented with a touch of humour, “You can’t invade Greenland.” With more than 50 coastal settlements, none of which are connected by roads, Greenland’s vast and largely uninhabitable landscape serves as a natural defence.

Despite the US military presence at the Pituffik Space Base in the north-west, which is used for missile warning and space surveillance rather than direct defence, Greenland’s government does not see the need for American military ownership of the island. “It’s the US that is protecting us. It’s the US that is defending us,” said Vittus Qujaukitsoq, a former finance and foreign minister. However, he questions why the US would need to own the island to ensure its defence, suggesting that the US could simply maintain more bases without direct control of Greenland.

The US’s military presence in Greenland has declined significantly since the Cold War, with troops at Pituffik dropping from 15,000 to just 150. "If it’s so important to have military presence in Greenland, why do they have only 150 troops? They used to have 15,000," asked Rasmus Jarlov, a former Danish minister. This reduction underscores the growing improbability of any military threat to the island.

Greenland's physical isolation and harsh environment reinforce the sentiment that the island is not vulnerable to invasion. Most of Greenland’s population, composed largely of Inuit hunters and fishers, lives in isolated settlements along its coastline, making the region difficult to defend or attack. Even the ice and cold temperatures of the Arctic, while accelerating climate change, continue to limit commercial activities to the warmer summer months.

While Greenland acknowledges the importance of maintaining strong relations with global powers, including the US, it remains confident that its physical and geopolitical position makes any military threat to the island highly improbable. As Lynge pointed out, “You can’t invade Greenland,” a sentiment shared by many who believe the island's strategic value will never outweigh its challenges for foreign invaders.

By Aghakazim Guliyev