Vice President J.D. Vance said the United States needs to "wake up" and recognize that America's adversaries will make advances on Greenland's strategic location and its resources if the U.S. doesn't intervene.
Vance was in Greenland with second lady Usha Vance to meet with service members at the Pituffik Space Base and address the vital Arctic security concerns the world will face in the coming years. The vice president touched on the need to pay attention to how Russia and China are advancing their own security footprint.
"They're doing what they believe is in their interests, the United States must do what I know is in our interests which is to make sure that Greenland is safe," Vance said.
"If Greenland doesn't have self-determination, if the people of Greenland have their future controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, then it's not gonna make their lives better off and most importantly it's going to make American and world security much much weaker."
The Trump administration has viewed Greenland as a critical piece in America's long-term national security, not only due to its location but its abundance of rare earth metals, which are the lifeblood of a technology-driven age.
"We in some ways need to wake up. We need to wake up from a failed 40-year consensus that we could ignore the encroachment of powerful countries.
"As they expand their ambitions, we can't just bury our head in the sand — or in Greenland bury our head in the snow — and pretend that the Chinese are not interested in this very large landmass. We know that they are," Vance added.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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