Readers Favor Increased Military Presence in Greenland: Epoch Survey

President Donald Trump has spent years urging that America needs to control Greenland for national security reasons, and his administration has ramped up the demands during his second term.

In the lead-up to the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland, Trump escalated his campaign to acquire the island, announcing 1o percent tariffs on European countries until a deal is reached for the purchase of the island. This prompted pushback from Greenland, Denmark, and other European countries.

After a Jan. 21 meeting with the head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Davos, Trump said the United States and NATO countries reached the outlines of a future deal on Greenland, and called off the planned tariffs.

The deal being negotiated would grant the United States full access to Greenland for free, Trump later said. The United States, Denmark, and Greenland have since started technical talks on improving Arctic security, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Jan. 28.

We asked readers to weigh in on America’s presence in Greenland.

Military Presence

Trump said in Davos that the United States won’t use military force to acquire Greenland.

The United States has the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland. It was built in accordance with a 1951 defense pact between the United States and Denmark.

Over 81 percent of survey respondents suggested that America does not have a large enough military presence on the island.

Around 84 percent of participants agreed that in strategically critical regions, such as the Arctic, the United States should act decisively even if NATO allies cannot reach a consensus.

Those surveyed had mixed reactions to Trump’s pressure campaign to control the island, with 45 percent of poll respondents suggesting that America’s public pressure campaign to convince Denmark to turn over Greenland does not undermine trust among NATO allies. Just over 29.31 percent of readers suggested it did, while the remaining mostly stayed neutral.

Chinese Activity

China expressed interest in large-scale mining projects in Greenland, as the island is rich in minerals crucial for developing technologies.

Trump urged that the U.S. must act to control Greenland before Russia or China attempts to take advantage of the island’s benefits, which could include control over Arctic routes.

When readers were asked if China’s Arctic economic activity posed a greater long-term challenge in Greenland than Russia’s military presence, 68.4 percent of individuals agreed, while 10.5 percent disagreed. The remaining people were neutral about the question.

Over 90 percent of the sample group agreed that the U.S. and NATO need to increase their attention to Greenland due to Russia’s military capabilities in the Arctic.

When asked if they thought the “primary risk” to U.S. interests in Greenland was due to long-term influence rather than immediate military conflict, 70.5 percent of respondents agreed that America’s control of Greenland was about long-term influence and 14 percent disagreed, while the rest remained neutral.

Readers were also asked if the expansion of U.S. involvement in Greenland should require clear and public cost estimates. Just over 63 percent of the survey-takers agreed, 18 disagreed and the rest remained neutral.

Of those surveyed, 77 percent agreed that deeper U.S. commitments in Greenland would likely add meaningful long-term financial obligations.

Resources

A large majority of people polled believed that Greenland’s mineral resources were strategically important for the United States over the long term, with 85 percent of poll respondents saying they agree with that statement.

Nearly half of the survey-takers agreed that, given current U.S. deficits, Greenland policy should be limited to what is essential for core defense needs, while 40 percent disagreed.

The most mixed reactions from readers came when survey-takers were asked if the United States should prioritize mineral processing and refining capacity with allies rather than relying on Arctic mining. Just over 44 percent of respondents disagreed, 30 percent remained neutral and 24 percent said they agreed.

This survey was conducted on Jan. 28 and drew 1,095 responses from readers of The Epoch Times.