Trump's Greenland Gamble Is Paying Off: America Moves to Secure the Top of the World Without Firing a Shot
Critics called his Greenland push reckless. The Sept. 22 defense deal would give the U.S. new bases, room for Golden Dome and a lock against China and Russia on the island. In our view, that is a strategic win.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Senior Features Writer | October 4, 2026 | 6-min read Look at a globe from the top down and you see why every serious strategist cares about Greenland. It sits between North America and Europe, at the gateway from the Arctic to the North Atlantic [2]. On Sept. 22, in New York, the United States signed a deal that would put America back at the top of that map [3][5]. Key Takeaways On Sept. 22, the U.S., Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement that would expand America's military presence on the island, with no end date [1][2][3]. The deal would allow two new U.S. defense areas and expansion at Pituffik Space Base, open the door to Golden Dome missile defense and bar non-NATO countries from building military installations without the parties' agreement [2]. In our view, President Trump's pressure turned a decades-old arrangement into a modern Arctic shield. It still needs approval from the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments [1][3]. Why this matters to you: Pituffik, America's northernmost military base, hosts radar that provides early warning of intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from Russia [2]. In our view, what happens in Greenland bears directly on the safety of American cities. What Was Signed On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik