Repeated calls to acquire Greenland mask a more fundamental failure in American strategic planning. The real obstacle to US dominance in the Arctic is not a lack of territory, but a chronic, decades-long underinvestment in the vast sovereign territory the nation already holds in Alaska.
Neglected Infrastructure Undermines Sovereignty
During World War II, the U.S. built roughly 300 military installations across Alaska. Many of these have since been abandoned, leaving behind deteriorating runways and hollowed-out airfields. This drawdown stands in stark contrast to Russian activity. Moscow rebuilt its Arctic presence starting nearly two decades ago, reactivating Cold War-era bases and deploying a fleet of 42 icebreakers. The U.S. Coast Guard, by comparison, continues to rely on a single operational heavy icebreaker, a fact one expert described by saying the limited cutter presence in the Bering Sea is inadequate for protecting American interests.
The neglect has direct consequences for American workers and national security. Thawing permafrost is actively damaging existing runways and buildings constructed on previously frozen ground, putting further strain on aging assets. The failure to maintain this infrastructure undermines the economic potential of critical mineral and energy development in the region, directly contradicting the goals of economic nationalism.
The Fallacy of Territorial Expansion
"The notion that we would take Greenland and somehow improve it is a fallacy. We have not done that in Alaska."
The prioritization of a foreign acquisition over investment in domestic territory represents a flawed policy calculus. Resources directed toward a hypothetical Greenland venture would be far better spent on hardening U.S. assets. Recent administration moves to accelerate Alaskan energy development and fund new Polar Security Cutters represent a step toward correcting this trajectory, but the infrastructure gap remains severe.
With Arctic shipping lanes opening due to shifting climate patterns, control of the region is a matter of economic and military primacy. Ensuring that primacy requires building necessary icebreaker fleets and deepwater ports, such as the facility expanding at Nome, in America, for Americans. Pursuing foreign real estate ventures distracts from the sovereign duty to secure and develop the domestic territory that has been disregarded for too long.