Greenland: Cold War Redux

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GREENLAND, NORTH ATLANTIC – I’ve been saying it for years—maintaining control of the GIUK and GIN gaps in the North Atlantic isn’t just a good idea, it’s essential. It was the backbone of American and NATO strategy during the Cold War, a strategic checkmate that allowed us to control Soviet submarine movement, protect critical shipping lanes, and ensure a line of defense that helped secure not only our shores, but our allies as well. These gaps—the naval corridors between Greenland, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and Norway—might look like just cold, open water on a map. But their control determines whether or not we can detect and intercept hostile submarines or missile systems before they get within range of the U.S. or Canadian coastlines. That mattered in the 1980s, and it will matter even more over the next thirty years.

Trump Administration Releases Greenland Strategy Video, Highlighting Its Critical Role in National Defense

 

We’re heading into a radically different world—one where Africa, not Europe or the Middle East, becomes the next primary focus of geopolitical conflict and competition. Africa’s population is projected to double in the next 30 years. Its resource wealth is vast, untapped in many areas, and ripe for exploitation by global powers like China, Russia, and even non-state actors. Combine that with unstable governments, widespread corruption, and increasing interest from outside players, and you’ve got a pressure cooker of future military, humanitarian, and strategic challenges. America can’t afford to ignore this shift—but we also can’t engage effectively if we leave our own northern flank exposed.

What people miss when they talk about future conflict zones is that power projection doesn’t begin in the place you’re focusing on. It begins in your own hemisphere. If the U.S. cannot control and monitor the GIUK and GIN gaps, we lose early detection and interception capabilities. We open the door to submarines sneaking in under the radar. We allow surveillance craft or even missile platforms to position themselves too close for comfort. And in a modern world where warfare includes cyber, hypersonic, and space-based threats, that margin of warning is shrinking. Every mile closer a foreign actor gets to our critical infrastructure—whether that’s undersea cables, energy grids, or major population centers—the more vulnerable we are. We are no longer operating with the luxury of a multi-week Atlantic buffer. The threats of tomorrow move at thousands of miles per hour and can be deployed with little or no warning.

That’s why we need a renewed, unapologetic commitment to missile defense and Arctic military infrastructure. Under President Trump’s national defense vision, this isn’t just a talking point—it’s becoming a real priority. Trump’s previous administration invested in ballistic missile defense and began the process of modernizing America’s missile shield, focusing on both ground-based interceptors and space-based assets. One of his more visionary (and controversial) ideas was the pursuit of a space-based kinetic interceptor program—essentially the beginning stages of what Reagan once called “Star Wars.” Critics mocked it, of course, but the logic behind it is becoming harder to ignore as adversaries like China develop hypersonic glide vehicles and Russia retrofits its submarine fleet with longer-range cruise missiles.

Trump’s return to office in 2025 brought renewed energy to these priorities. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, working under Trump’s direction, ordered a massive reallocation of $50 billion from lower-priority Pentagon programs to focus on missile defense and border security. This isn’t waste—it’s triage. When the world is on fire and your home is in the path of the flames, you don’t worry about repainting the garage—you shore up the walls and make sure your roof doesn’t cave in. That’s what this is: proactive defense rather than reactive damage control.

And in that proactive approach, Greenland becomes the keystone. A frozen landmass with only 56,000 people, Greenland seems insignificant to most Americans, but strategically, it’s a crown jewel. Greenland sits at the nexus of Arctic, Atlantic, and even European military pathways. Its position allows for monitoring of Russian subs and aircraft, tracking of missile launches over the pole, and a forward operating base that sits directly in the path of any transatlantic threat. Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) is already in place, operated by the U.S. Space Force, and provides early-warning radar, missile tracking, and space domain awareness. Under Trump’s direction, Pituffik’s role is expanding. Plans are underway to increase its radar coverage, reinforce its missile defense systems, and establish a permanent rotational presence for both Air Force and Navy personnel. Not to mention the proposed integration of Greenland into broader NORAD command structures, allowing for real-time data and rapid joint-response scenarios in case of a missile or submarine threat. (continued below)

Critics roll their eyes at this kind of Arctic strategy, calling it Cold War thinking. But here’s the reality—they’re living in a fantasy where the globe is getting friendlier. It isn’t. China has established deep roots in African infrastructure, with its Belt and Road Initiative giving Beijing long-term leverage over ports, railways, and mines. Russia has restarted Cold War patrol routes with its Northern Fleet, reactivated Soviet-era Arctic bases, and continues to probe for weaknesses along NATO’s northern edge. Iran is expanding its presence through proxies in North Africa, and even Turkey has shown a willingness to project power in ways that are less than cooperative. All of this adds up to one hard truth: we’re not heading for global harmony. We’re heading for a contest of wills—and whoever controls the approach corridors, the satellite grids, and the missile domes will be the one who dictates the terms.

Let’s stop pretending we can play catch-up when the shooting starts. We must act now. If we want to have meaningful presence and influence in Africa, or anywhere else for that matter, we need full-spectrum dominance in our own hemisphere. That means locking down the GIUK and GIN gaps. It means updating our early warning systems, expanding our missile defense umbrella, and establishing Greenland as the eastern equivalent of Hawaii and Alaska—a critical outpost with capabilities to detect, deter, and, if necessary, strike. Trump’s approach to defense isn’t just a return to strength—it’s a recognition that future wars won’t wait for us to get our act together.

We need to get ahead of this, and stay ahead of it. Because next time, we might not get a second chance.