“While it’s true that Greenland is rich in minerals and potential energy reserves, Alaska — undeniably a world-class energy and resource powerhouse — is richer. ”
— U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska
ALASKA OFFERS EVERYTHING GREENLAND DOES, AND MORE
I ’M SURE ALASKANS HAVE HEARD ABOUT PRESIDENT ELECT-TRUMP’S IDEA OF BUYING GREENLAND. BUT AS IT CONTINUES TO BE DISCUSSED, IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THAT A U.S. PRESIDENT HAS RECOGNIZED THE STRATEGIC LOCATION AND RESOURCES THAT THE TERRITORY OFFERS. After the Alaska Purchase, President Andrew Johnson, at the urging of Sec- retary of State William Seward, con- sidered buying Greenland during the 1860s. In 1946, the Truman administra- tion offered $100 million to Denmark to acquire Greenland. So buying Green- land is not an unprecedented idea. But it’s also important to remember that one U.S. state offers everything that appears to be motivating Presi- dent Trump, and other presidents, to consider buying Greenland in the first place. That state is ours: Alaska. As we all know, the problem is that the Biden Administration, like other recent Dem- ocratic administrations, has spent its time trying to turn Alaska into one gi- ant national park, as opposed to recog- nizing what our state really represents: an incredible strategic asset for America that already has everything Greenland would offer. Some have argued that Greenland would provide the U.S. a gateway to the Arctic and its opening shipping lanes. We don’t need Greenland for the U.S.
tition. Another impetus for buying Green- land is its role in missile defense. While Greenland plays an important part in early warning networks, the real corner- stone of missile defense for America is Alaska. Any missiles launched by adversaries like Russia, China, or North Korea — ballistic, hypersonic, or cruise missiles — aimed at any place in our country would likely traverse over Alaska. For that reason, the vast ma- jority of the radar systems and ground- based missile interceptors protecting the entire United States from attack are already based in Alaska. But in order to create an Iron Dome for America — a priority of President Trump — we need to do more to add to our national ballistic missile interceptor capability in Alaska, as well as build up a robust layered missile defense and space-based missile sensor capability. Alaska is also home to critical military assets needed for a major war, including the largest concentration of fifth-generation fighters on the planet, with over 100 F-22s and F-35s home- based in Alaska, as well as the newly established U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division. Also, while it’s true that Greenland is rich in minerals and potential energy reserves, Alaska — undeniably a world- class energy and resource powerhouse
to get into the Arctic game. We know that America is already an Arctic nation because of Alaska. We just need to be serious about how we utilize Alaska’s strategic location, particularly as it relates to military threats from Russia and China. The Russians and Chinese certainly recognize that Alaska and the Arctic are regions at the forefront of great power competition. In the last two years alone, there have been 12 air incursions into Alaska’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) by Russian and Chinese mili- tary aircraft — including an unprece- dented joint Russian-Chinese strategic bomber operation this past summer. Further, on at least three occasions in the past two years, Russian and/or Chinese warships traversed our waters, including an unprecedented 12-ship joint Chinese-Russian naval task force. We need to build up our ability to respond to these Russian and Chinese threats in the Arctic in order to deter aggression. We’ve made progress in our Arctic military build-up, but to seri- ously counter the dictators in Moscow and Beijing, we must focus on making serious investments in real capabili- ties — communications, cold-weather materials, radar technology, subsurface sensing, airfields, deep water ports, and refueling capacity — to help the U.S. succeed in this new Cold War compe-
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ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW WINTER 2025
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