GOP senator to Trump: Alaska 'offers all of Greenland's benefits'
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) made the case on Wednesday that his home state offers the same strategic advantages as Greenland, as President-elect Trump continues to muse publicly about acquiring the autonomous Arctic island.
Trump has said owning Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is an “absolute necessity” for the United States, pointing to the island’s rich natural resources and potential benefits to U.S. national security.
In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Sullivan argued that Alaska provides the same upsides as Greenland, and he encouraged the incoming Trump administration to recognize the state “as a great strategic asset,” which he said the Biden administration has not done.
“There’s been a lot of talk about President-elect Trump’s idea of buying Greenland,” Sullivan wrote. “But one U.S. state offers all of Greenland’s benefits: Alaska.”
Sullivan addressed the argument that Greenland provides a gateway to the Arctic Ocean, which some argue is necessary as Russia and China jockey for power in the area.
“Greenland would provide the U.S. a gateway to the Arctic. But America is already an Arctic nation thanks to Alaska,” Sullivan wrote.
“The Russians and Chinese know my state is at the forefront of great-power competition,” he added, noting there have already been 12 air incursions into the state’s air-defense identification zone, just in the last two years.
He described Alaska as “the cornerstone of America’s missile defense,” noting missiles launched by Russia, China or North Korea would likely fly over his state.
Sullivan noted that Trump said a priority for his administration would be to create an Iron Dome for America. To do so, Sullivan said, “We need to add to our national ballistic-missile interceptor capability in Alaska and build a robust layered missile defense and space-based missile sensor capability.”
Sullivan also addressed the argument that Greenland “is rich in minerals and energy reserves,” writing, “Alaska is even richer,” with an estimated 40 billion barrels of oil and roughly 235 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
He added: “Alaska also has a wealth of metals and other minerals, some of which are essential for our national defense, economy and renewable-energy sector.”
“Buy Greenland? Sure, if the price is right and the Danes are willing to sell,” Sullivan wrote. “But as Mr. Trump prepares to unleash Alaska’s potential again, it’s worth remembering what the father of the U.S. Air Force, Gen. Billy Mitchell, once said: ‘I believe . . . whoever controls Alaska controls the world. I think it is the most strategic place in the world.’”