President Donald Trump is clearly worried about the security of the Arctic. Most obviously, he has made numerous controversial statements about the need for the United States to have control over Greenland. Similar comments about Canada bespeak his underlying concern: Neither Greenland nor Canada is being vigilant enough about the threats facing them.
Those threats are widely acknowledged. As a warming world makes the Arctic more navigable, Russia and China are seeking to take advantage. The Trump administration underlined its seriousness by sending Vice President JD Vance to an American air base in Greenland last week.
In a different context, such demands for accountability are already driving change. In February, Mr. Vance made a similar trip to Europe, delivering rebukes. Europe has since taken dramatic steps to reimagine its security structure and free itself from dependence on the U.S.
Might the same happen in Greenland and Canada? Early signs suggest so. But must holding such places more accountable for security come at the cost of goodwill and shared purpose? A deeper look at the current situation offers a different picture.
In laying out the keys to making the top of the world safe, the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies emphasizes one quality: cooperation. “The underlying premise of security cooperation is that the United States is stronger by using security cooperation to obtain its strategic objectives.”
In particular, its 2023 report highlights the relationship between the U.S. and Canada. From the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to other cooperative mechanisms like the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, “The US-Canada relationship is considered unique in foreign policy and security circles in terms of both its depth and breadth,” the report adds.
With Mr. Trump’s rhetoric and his tariffs on Canadian goods, that relationship has frayed politically. But the American and Canadian armed forces continue to rely on each other. Canada’s top general, Jennie Carignan, said in February that “Militarily, we’re not there at all.”
The mayor of North Bay, Ontario, site of a key NORAD facility, told reporters in March he sees no drop in the need for cooperation. “I believe that it’s something that there is a continued investment for, that we will see support from our Canadian government, we will see support from the American government.”
In his Greenland trip, Mr. Vance said Americans respect the self-determination of Greenlanders, and “We do not think military force is ever going to be necessary.” Finding the right balance between accountability and cooperation is essential to keeping the Arctic safe.
