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Published by The Galveston County Daily News Published: January 28, 2026
The acquisition of Greenland by the United States is good for our nation, Greenlanders, and our NATO allies. There's precedent in doing so. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson (D) purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million in gold, doing so primarily for strategic military control of the Caribbean and access to the Panama Canal. Doing so reestablished the Monroe Doctrine and helped Denmark which was facing severe economic hardship. The Islands became a U.S. territory and the inhabitants became U.S. citizens. In 1946, Democrat President Harry Truman saw Greenland as crucial for detecting and countering Soviet threats. He understood fully Greenland's strategic location on the polar route as necessary for intercepting Soviet bombers and missiles with also the potential for launching counter offensives. Truman offered Denmark $100 million in gold for the island; Denmark declined but allowed the U.S. to maintain military bases. A U.S. military presence on Greenland is even more critical today as both China and Russia assert themselves in the Arctic region. Even though the U.S. is lagging in the ability to process rare earth resources their presence on Greenland adds another essential dimension not existent beforehand. The Danish military has a total of 20,000 armed forces. Its army is about 8,000-9,000 troops. Denmark maintains a meager force of 200 on the island. Recently President Trump noted that the United States saved Europe and the Island from German aggression and gave it back to Denmark in 1951. He reminded the world that the Danish forces maintained on the island aren't a deterrent to Russian or Chinese aggression. Currently there's a treaty in place that gives our nation authority to establish military bases on Greenland, while not impacting Denmark's sovereignty. But there's a big difference from having rights for a military presence versus being a U.S. territory. If it's a territory the likelihood of foreign aggression becomes remote while strengthening its security. Under existing frameworks, an attack on Greenland could be overlooked or discounted by administrations like the last one. If the Island is a U.S. territory, aggressive actions could not be ignored, even by liberal congresses and administrations. As Trump said there is a big difference between fighting over leases or ownership. The Kremlin gave a sobering view on the U.S. acquiring Greenland. "If Trump gets Greenland, he will go down in history as one of the great American presidents," Russian political risk consultant and lawyer Adriel Kasonta has said. "…many presidents before saw the strategic importance of Greenland… and they wanted to acquire Greenland, but without any successful result… …If Trump were to acquire the Arctic Island for the US," Kasonta contended, "he would succeed in securing the security of Northern America where other presidents in the past failed'." Greenland "is the only key territory the U.S. needs for securing the Western Hemisphere," he concluded. While we favor acquiring Greenland as a U.S. territory, we don't favor doing so by force, neither does Trump. If it happens; the people on Greenland must agree. The United States shouldn't be occupiers but instead partners. We also favor giving the Islanders autonomous control over their local affairs and a voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, like other territories such as Guam have.
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	About the Authors and Columnists 2026 Bill and Mansius have written over 300 guest columns and editorials together over the last ten years for numerous publications across the country and they continue to do so. Bill lives in Texas and Mark in Utah. Both gentlemen ran against each other in the 2012 Republican Primary for Texas Congressional District 14. Since then they have become close friends and colleagues. In addition to formerly being responsible for overseeing elections in Galveston County as Galveston's Chief Deputy Clerk for Elections, Bill has worked with the Texas State Legislature to improve and craft election legislation.
From a former U.S. Air Force Officer currently living in San Marcos, Texas: Great article.  It reflects good research and clarifies the issue much more effectively than what I see in "the news". Thanks for writing it. Comment from a retired Episcopal Priest living in Pennsylvania: Could not agree more. Greenland is a very strategic piece of ice. I think you summed that up clearly and succinctly. Comment from former Congressional Chief of Staff living in California:: It is refreshing to read a story that lays out the issues without attacking somebody. This issue is one that cuts across party lines. Both Democrat and Republican Presidents have wanted to do this, and it makes sense. Unfortunately we have those in our country who see the name "Trump" attached it and they are automatically opposed even if he has a good idea in this case.

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