United States president Donald Trump has reportedly directed the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) to prepare contingency plans for a potential invasion of Greenland.
According to a report by The Mail on Sunday, the move has met strong internal resistance from senior US military leaders, citing illegality and lack of congressional approval.
Greenland’s party leaders have firmly rejected Trump’s push for US control, stating, “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders”.
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Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an American takeover would mark the end of NATO.
However, senior military officials say it would be illegal and lack congressional support.
Report say the most aggressive push is coming from the hardline advisers associated.
Why United States Want Greenland So Badly and what is its Location ?
Greenland occupies one of the most strategically important positions on the planet, sitting between North America and Europe along the shortest route for trans-Arctic air and missile travel.
During the Cold War, the island became a cornerstone of US early-warning systems, a role it continues to play today.
The United States operates Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, a critical installation for missile defense, space surveillance, and Arctic operations.
As military planners increasingly focus on the Arctic as a potential theater of conflict, Greenland’s value as a defensive shield for North America has only grown.
Mineral Wealth Beneath the Ice of Greenland
The key driver of U.S. interest in Greenland is its vast and largely untapped mineral wealth. The island holds some of the world’s most significant deposits of rare earth elements, which are essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, smartphones, and advanced military equipment.
Greenland also contains sizable reserves of uranium, zinc, iron ore, copper, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and gold.
Zinc and Lead: used in construction, batteries, and manufacturing.
Iron Ore: Essential for steel production.
Copper: Critical for electrical systems and renewable energy infrastructure.
Nickel and Cobalt: Key components in lithium-ion batteries.
These metals are essential to global infrastructure and the green-energy transition.
Precious and Specialty Minerals
Greenland also hosts deposits of:
Gold: Already mined on a limited scale.
Platinum Group Metals (PGMs): Used in catalytic converters and electronics.
Graphite: Vital for batteries and electric vehicles.
Titanium and Vanadium: Used in aerospace and high-strength alloys.
These resources are strategically important as the United States and its allies seek to reduce reliance on China, which currently dominates global rare-earth supply chains. While harsh weather, environmental concerns, and limited infrastructure have slowed large-scale mining, Greenland’s mineral potential has made it a focal point of growing geopolitical competition.