Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Greenland this week is historic. No sitting American vice president has ever visited the nation. Yet the visit comes with controversy and follows a string of provocative statements by President Trump about Greenland that have unsettled many in Nuuk. What was orig inally expected to include Second Lady Usha Vance’s attendance at a well-known dog sled race has now been narrowed to a visit to the U.S. military base in the far north of the country. The Trump administration is absolutely right to highlight Greenland’s strategic importance. This is not just a matter of politics — in the context of American national defense, it’s a matter of geography and physics. Greenland, like Iceland, plays a vital role in continental defense, particularly against airborne threats, due to its location. In simple terms, Greenland and Iceland serve as the “forward operating bases” of the North American continent. Greenland is an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark. It was granted home rule in 1979 and expanded self-government in 2009. Today, it exercises authority over most domestic policy areas, with the key exceptions being foreign affairs, defense and monetary policy, all of which remain under Danish control. Luckily for the U.S., every American policy goal in Greenland can be pursued through our close and long-standing relationships with both the Greenlandic and Danish governments. In addition to the security cooperation, there is mutual interest in deepening economic ties, which would be a welcome development. This might include cooperation on rare earth minerals, for example, although it should be noted that many of Greenland’s assumed mineral resources remain out of reach due to an extreme lack of infrastructure, harsh environmental conditions and the presence of an ice sheet three times the size of Texas and over two miles thick at its deepest. Improving transportation links between the U.S. and Greenland should also be a priority. While discussions about enhancing shipping routes have stalled for years due to commercial constraints, there has been modest progress in air travel. This June will mark the launch of the first seasonal direct flight from the U.S. to Greenland since the 1990s. More can and should be done. There is no question that Greenland remains under Danish sovereignty. This has been the case since 1721 and has been reaffirmed by successive American administrations for more than a century — most notably in 1917, when the U.S. purchased the Danish West Indies, now the U.S. Virgin Islands. As part of that agreement, the U.S. explicitly reaffirmed Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland. I have written, spoken and testified extensively about the growing Chinese threat to U.S. interests in the Arctic. This was one of the primary motivations for my first visit to Greenland several years ago. While Greenland maintains a trading relationship with China, primarily around seafood exports, there is virtually no meaningful Chinese investment on the island. The Chinese do not operate a single mine there. Attempts by China to fund airport construction and purchase a former U.S. and Danish military installation have all been blocked. This demonstrates that current safeguards against malign Chinese influence in Greenland are working and deserve continued American support. Greenland is clearly on a long-term trajectory toward independence, something Denmark has publicly supported. The U.S. should recognize, support and respect the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination and to decide how and by whom they are governed. Following recent elections, all five parties represented in Greenland’s parliament issued a joint statement rejecting American annexation proposals. At present, it’s clear that joining the U.S. is not part of Greenland’s vision. Until public attitudes change, America should accept this as the reality. Despite what some senior U.S. officials have suggested, Denmark is one of NATO’s most effective and reliable members — and has proven it on the battlefield. When I served with the British Defense Secretary in 2010 and 2011, I saw firsthand how Danish forces operated in central Helmand province in Afghanistan — a region that accounted for less than 1 percent of the country’s population but over 20 percent of its violence. Denmark had more than 700 soldiers under British command, operating with no caveats or restrictions, while many other European allies were confined to safer areas in the north. On a per capita basis, Denmark suffered among the highest casualty rates of the entire war. Denmark is a capable and committed ally, and America needs more allies like it. In the Arctic, sovereignty equals stability. That means respecting the sovereignty of others while also maintaining the capabilities to defend our own. The U.S. should enhance its military presence in the region, in full alignment with existing agreements. During this pivotal moment for Ukraine and the transatlantic alliance, we must prioritize unity. It shouldn’t have to be said, but the idea of using U.S. military force to secure American interests in Greenland must be categorically ruled out. Statements suggesting that the U.S. has a special right to Greenland — because it is in our backyard, necessary for our security, or that the locals are unhappy and Denmark doesn’t really have a right to it — echo the same justifications the Kremlin uses to defend its invasion of Ukraine. This rhetoric is irresponsible and, frankly, unbecoming of the U.S. Ideally, Vance’s visit will lead to a stronger understanding of the U.S.-Greenlandic relationship and help chart a responsible, forward-looking approach. A visit by a sitting vice president to Greenland is indeed historic. Let’s hope it is historic for the right reasons. Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. ...read more read less