Nobody's Laughing About Greenland Now

A few months back, I wrote a series of posts on a topic I’ll admit I’m no true expert in. But something was telling me there was a grand long-term plan at play.

Today, this plan is still in motion. It includes one of President Trump’s most audacious goals since returning to office: Greenland.

Back in June, I told you how there’s a centuries old pattern at play. One that’s reshaping world trade.

That includes Greenland. Something President Trump talked about often.

For example, on March 3, 2025, in his address to Congress, President Trump said, “I think we’re going to get it – one way or the other, we’re going to get it.”

At the time, he was talking about outright buying Greenland to bring it into the U.S. as a territory. Many in the media and around the world laughed. They thought it was crazy.

He went on to say, “We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”

MGGA: Make Greenland Great Again.

Remember, Greenland sits between North America and Russia. It’s the shortest route for a potential ballistic missile launching from Russia to the U.S.

It’s also a gateway to the Atlantic Ocean for Russia’s Northern Fleet. A key waterway for national security.

So it wasn’t all bluster. It was about gaining as much control as possible over the largest non-continental island on the planet.

And for all the pushback from political rivals both at home and abroad, late last month, President Trump finally got for the U.S. what he wanted: effective control of Greenland.

Back in 1951, the U.S. signed the Defense of Greenland Agreement with Denmark. Originally, that deal did a few things.

First, it recognized Danish sovereignty over Greenland. The arrangement allowed for the U.S. to set up military bases only where both governments agreed. And only on the basis of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) planning.

The arrangement itself was set up to last so long as NATO continued to exist.

That’s because the agreement existed “only for the benefit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”

The 1951 agreement also said the U.S. may have the right of free access and movement through Greenland, but only if Denmark agreed.

Effectively, the U.S. agreed to “protect” Greenland for NATO. And anything the U.S. wanted to do on the island needed approval from Denmark.

So when President Trump posted about the new terms of the agreement on Truth Social, many people were skeptical.

Many didn’t believe it. And they even asked the Danes, who had a wildly different interpretation.

Except, the actual text of the deal – which came as a surprise to some – showed President Trump’s version was closest to the truth.

Compared to the 1951 agreement, the Agreement Amending and Supplementing the 1951 Defense Agreement has no end date. It can only end by mutual consent. And it even survives any potential Greenland independence.

Maybe more important for U.S. interests, the language about NATO isn’t part of the agreement anymore. And it locks in three military bases. One of which already exists: Pituffik. The U.S. is planning to modernize and expand that base.

Then, it’s going to build two new ones. One at Narsarsuaq and one at Mestersvig.

Plus, if the U.S. wants to build more bases, it can if justified for the defense of “the American continent.” Meaning all they need to agree on is the “implementation details based on mutual agreement.”

In addition, the U.S. no longer needs permission to move freely around the waters of the island. There’s a new provision that grants it “undersea access to and movement within the Territorial Waters, without restriction.” Think submarines.

What’s more, non-NATO states cannot maintain a presence in Greenland unless all parties agree. That gives the U.S. a permanent veto against, say, China or Russia trying to establish a presence. Something the original agreement didn’t have.

Then there’s a completely new section that may prove to be just as important. It’s about who can and cannot invest or have control of “Sensitive Sectors or Activities” in Greenland. Basically, the U.S. controls who can invest in strategic sectors in Greenland outside of non-NATO or European Union states.

That last part is key. Greenland has a wealth of natural resources. Including critical metals, oil, and gas.

Overall, this is about as close to the U.S. buying Greenland as it can get…without actually buying the land or title. While Denmark and Greenland maintain “sovereignty,” the U.S. effectively has control of what happens on the island.

It’s a huge win for Trump’s grand plan. It strengthens a key U.S. military outpost. And it gives the U.S. control over the Arctic sea lanes.

But it’s far more than that. Greenland is rich in natural resources. Very rich.

For one, Greenland is home to at least 43 critical minerals. In fact, Greenland has one of the largest rare earth deposits in the world. According to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, the island holds at least 36 million metric tons of rare earth resources. That would put it just behind China’s 44 million metric tons.

If you add in estimated resources, not proven, that number swells to nearly 123 million metric tons.

Not to mention, the region has an estimated 30 billion barrels of oil – maybe more. And potentially more than 145 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

When you look at the map of where the U.S. wants to build its new bases, it all starts to make far more sense.

The Narsarsuaq planned base at the Southern tip of Greenland sits next to one of the most significant rare earth projects in the world today, with around 5 million tons of rare earth ore in the ground.

Meanwhile, the Mestersvig proposed base sits right next to the Jameson Land Basin. Jameson may have upwards of 13 billion barrels of oil. And it’s the only area so far licensed for oil exploration. 

If that’s not strategic planning, I don’t know what is.

The point is, the world laughed when President Trump brought up buying Greenland. They couldn’t see the grand plan. They couldn’t recognize the wealth that lay beneath the surface. Wealth that the U.S. effectively controls today.

But now, with the agreement signed last month during the United Nations General Assembly, the world isn’t laughing anymore.

Instead, they want to know how to get a piece of the action. Something that we’re already taking advantage of in Strategic Trader.

Regards,

Editor, Strategic Trader