The Pentagon Has Axed Its Office of the Arctic

"President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet have made a case for acquiring Greenland that's so simple, even self-evident, it seems hard to refute: U.S. national-security interests in the Arctic are just too important to ignore. Not taking over the autonomous territory of Denmark would "give up the Arctic to China, to Russia, and to other regimes that don't have the best interests of the American people at heart," Vice President J. D. Vance declared last March during a visit to the Pituffik Space"

"The administration's intense interest in acquiring Greenland, by force if necessary, might appear to be a natural outgrowth of the Pentagon's work. Instead, it's a clear repudiation of it. Not only has the demand for Greenland infuriated the same European allies on which the Arctic strategy depends, the Pentagon office itself has been quietly shuttered. In sum, even as the administration says it needs Greenland to advance U.S. security interests in the Arctic, it has closed the office set up to"

The administration framed acquiring Greenland as essential to protecting U.S. national-security interests in the Arctic, warning that not doing so would cede influence to China, Russia, and other regimes. Congressional concern in 2019 prompted creation of the Pentagon's Arctic and Global Resilience Policy Office under the 2021 NDAA, which produced a 2024 Arctic Strategy emphasizing defense capabilities, allied collaboration, and Arctic readiness. Despite this, the administration's push for Greenland has antagonized European allies and coincided with the quiet shuttering of the Pentagon Arctic office. The administration thus insists on Greenland's security importance while dismantling an office charged with advancing Arctic policy.

Read at The Atlantic