Greenland ‘Essential’ to US Golden Dome Missile Defense, Bessent Says

Greenland ‘Essential’ to US Golden Dome Missile Defense, Bessent Says - ‘The president is worried that if there were an incursion into Greenland, the U.S. would be called upon to defend Greenland,’ the Treasury secretary said.

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Jan 21, 2026 - 10:49 Updated: Jan 21, 2026 - 03:32
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Greenland ‘Essential’ to US Golden Dome Missile Defense, Bessent Says

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said in Davos that the U.S. acquisition of Greenland is “essential” to the Golden Dome missile defense program, designed to stop missiles from adversaries such as China, North Korea, and Russia, which continue to develop long-range missile capabilities.
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Missiles from those adversaries would travel most expediently through the Arctic if aimed at the United States, including over Greenland.

Bessent discussed President Donald Trump’s position on Greenland in multiple media appearances on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Jan. 20, highlighting strategic implications.

“The president has a very strong view on Western Hemisphere security and believes that the U.S. should not outsource our national security,” Bessent said in an interview with Fox’s Maria Bartiromo. “He believes Greenland is essential for the Golden Dome missile shield.”

“As part of NATO, the president is worried that if there were an incursion into Greenland, the U.S. would be called upon to defend Greenland,” Bessent said.

“Greenland is becoming more and more attractive for foreign conquest, and he very strongly believes that it must be part of the United States to prevent a conflict, rather than getting the U.S. engaged and exposed [in] a hot conflict.”

Bessent said that security agreements with allies regarding Greenland will not be enough, noting Trump’s recent criticism of the UK for ceding the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in the Indo-Pacific after an international court ruling.

Chagos hosts a U.S.–UK military base, Diego Garcia, which the UK has said it has retained through a 99-year lease agreement. But because Mauritius has a close relationship with the Chinese communist regime, its acquisition of the Chagos Islands has raised serious security concerns.
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In a CNBC “Squawk Box” interview, Bessent said Greeland is “strategically important” for Golden Dome, and because of that, the United States has also invited Canada to join the missile defense project.

“It is important that the U.S. has control of Greenland, and that will stop any kind of kinetic war, so why not preempt the problem before it starts?” he said.

Trump recently said Greenland was “vital” to the United States’ Golden Dome in a Truth Social post. He said that NATO should back the U.S. acquisition of Greenland because “if we don’t, Russia or China will.”
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Ahead of the World Economic Forum, Trump announced 10 percent tariffs effective Feb. 1 on eight European nations for opposing U.S. control of Greenland. All the countries are NATO members: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland.

He told reporters last week that a lease was not enough, and that “nine-year deals or even 100-year deals” would not be sufficient deterrence against adversaries.

“I love the people of China. I love the people of Russia,” Trump said. “But I don’t want them as a neighbor in Greenland, not going to happen.”

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