From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By John Teichert

President-elect Donald Trump recently snapped the gaze of the national security establishment to an often-overlooked geographical feature — Greenland.

Trump’s comments have been enough to start a long-overdue conversation about the semi-autonomous territory owned by Denmark, a landmass that retired Admiral James Stavridis, who served as the Supreme Allied Commander for NATO, has called “a strategic goldmine for the United States.” Stavridis was speaking both literally and figuratively.

Trump has likely done something that many of the so-called national security experts have never considered: He has looked down on a globe from the top. The traditional U.S.-centric view does not tell the full story nor provide the proper perspective. A top-down glance unveils key observations that reveal the wisdom of focusing on a geographic feature that has been brushed aside for far too long. 

Greenland and the entire Arctic region are typically considered simply rugged and quaint. Yet, their significance must be properly elevated as a fundamental component of U.S. national security and economic interests. Trump has done just that.

A North-Pole-centered perspective reveals that Greenland is the largest geographical feature in the Arctic region. As a result, it holds oversized strategic significance in controlling land, sea, air, undersea and space domains for a substantial part of the planet. Proper utilization of the Greenland landmass creates opportunities for multi-faceted dominance of the entire region.

This same perspective reveals a massive trade route, given the right climatic conditions and ice-breaking capabilities. It provides a maritime shortcut between the East Coast and the West Coast of the United States, and similarly for trade between Europe and Asia.

The Houthis in Yemen have reminded the world of an important economic truth — the ability to shut down transit through a key trade route can have ripple effects on the global economy. Suffocating transit through the Red Sea has tripled the cost of shipping from Asia to the East Coast of the United States, enacting huge global inflationary pressures. These negative impacts would be dwarfed by a nation that could control and restrict transit through the Arctic Ocean.

The view from the North Pole also enlightens the viewer about the closer-than-expected proximity between Russia and North America. The protective buffer of the Atlantic Ocean does not tell the full story, and the distances between the United States and Canada and their Russian adversary are much shorter than would otherwise be understood.

Through this literal worldview, Greenland looms large in its significance. This is especially true when it is properly viewed as the primary barrier between Russia and the east coast of the United States. Such positioning provides the rationale for the United States Space Force’s posture on the island with its early warning radars and space control systems – situated to protect against strategic surprise.

Trump’s strong statements about proper economic and strategic utilization of Greenland have been informed by such strategic orientation. These statements are also a natural extension of his rightful insistence that European NATO members pay their fair share to meet collective defense requirements.

While the United States has a commendable 75-year history of supporting European and collective security, fair share also means that America’s European allies must support North American security. That starts with Greenland and continues with a robust strategic focus on the Arctic region.

None of this addresses the largely untapped and abundant natural resources in the Arctic region, from oil and natural gas to precious metals and rare earth minerals, which are desperately needed to sustain a thriving modern global economy. Calling it a goldmine is not hyperbole.

Not only have Trump’s comments gained our attention, but they have also captured the attention of Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede. Egede has eagerly proclaimed that his territory is poised to enhance its collaboration with the United States regarding natural resources and security efforts.

Thus, with just a few words informed by a properly oriented security perspective, Trump has already motivated and cultivated a collaboration that could strike gold for American interests.

United States Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert (ret) is a prolific author and leading expert on foreign affairs and military strategy. He served as commander of Joint Base Andrews and Edwards Air Force Base, was the U.S. senior defense official to Iraq, and recently retired as the assistant deputy undersecretary of the Air Force, international affairs. General Teichert maintains a robust schedule of media engagements, and his activities can best be followed at johnteichert.com and on LinkedIn. General Teichert can be reached at [email protected].

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Ireland Owens

President-elect Donald Trump announced on a social media post that he spoke over the phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday about various topics.

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that his phone call with the Chinese leader was “a very good one”. The president-elect also stated that he and Xi discussed trade, TikTok, fentanyl and “many other subjects.”

“I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post. “The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”

Trump’s social media post came just hours before the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a law requiring TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest from the app or face a ban. Following the news of the ruling, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the Supreme Court’s decision “was expected, and everyone must respect it.”

“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,” Trump added. “Stay tuned!”

Trump invited Xi and other global leaders to attend his presidential inauguration, an invitation which the Chinese president reportedly declined. Beijing confirmed on Thursday that it was sending an envoy, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, to attend Trump’s inauguration.

The president-elect has vowed to impose sweeping tariffs on foreign countries when he returns to office, including on China, Canada and Mexico. Trump has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on both Canada and Mexico if they do not do more to curb the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants being smuggled into the U.S. from the two countries.

Notably, trade tensions between the U.S. and China have been escalating in recent months, with the Biden-Harris administration announcing in December export restrictions on certain chips and semiconductor equipment, a move which Beijing rapidly retaliated against by announcing an export ban on some metals and rare minerals.

China added four U.S. companies to a so-called “Unreliable Entity List” list on Jan. 15 as retaliation against the U.S. government’s recent arms sales to Taiwan.

During his first term, Trump enacted various trade restrictions against Beijing, setting off a contentious trade dispute with Xi’s country. Trump is returning to the White House on Jan. 20.