Greenland remains 'urgent issue' ahead of Munich Security Conference

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(The Center Square) – Greenland's strategic significance remains a primary concern for U.S. security policy heading into the Munich Security Conference, according to an expert.

More than 50 heads of state are expected to attend the global security conference held in Germany. Last year's event featured remarks from Vice President J.D. Vance, who urged Europe to curb migration and criticized some European allies.

Jacob Olidort, chief research officer and director of American Security at the America First Policy Institute, said Greenland remains both an urgent threat and a critical opportunity.

"It's kind of interesting that Europe doesn't see the urgency around something in their backyard," Olidort said Wednesday.

He stressed that security planning for Greenland must focus on missile defense and Arctic territorial defense.

Since returning to the White House in 2025, President Donald Trump has pushed to annex Greenland for more than a year. In January 2026, Trump put the issue at the center of his address to world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Trump previously said talks about including the 800,000-square-mile Arctic island under his planned "Golden Dome" missile defense system were ongoing.

After meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, Trump called off threatened tariffs over the issue. Earlier in January, Trump had threatened eight European allies with higher tariffs until Denmark gave up Greenland. However, Trump backed off after reaching what he said was a "framework of a future deal" on Greenland and the rest of the Arctic region.

Trump wants to buy the sparsely populated island, but officials in Denmark and Greenland have said it's not for sale. Public polling shows Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose joining America.

As ice melts in the Arctic, more shipping and military ship routes could open in the region, changing the global trade and the defensive relationship between the U.S. and Russia. More mining and drilling exploration could also open up.

Trump maintains that the U.S. acquisition of Greenland is crucial to national security, warning that inaction could allow Russian or Chinese influence. His stated preference remains purchasing Greenland.

Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, depends on Danish subsidies and fishing.

Buying the nation could cost U.S. taxpayers billions or trillions, depending on how the Arctic island is valued.

Greenland is almost entirely reliant on fishing and Danish subsidies of about $1 billion a year. In January, Denmark's central bank found Greenland faces "challenges for public finances in the form of large deficits and a long-term sustainability problem."