The US aircraft carrier in the Arctic is the Pituffik space base in Greenland

It's not just one of Donald Trump's latest quips as he prepares to be sworn in as supreme leader of the world's greatest superpower.. In the summer of 2019, during his previous presidency, Trump had already called the passage of Greenland into American hands an absolute necessity.

Motivations? In addition to the extreme interest of Russia and China in maritime control of the so-called Northern Route,its desire to exploit the gigantic mineral resources and other reasons of paramount importance, the United States has a unique space base on the huge, sparsely populated island of Greenland – more than five times the size of Spain and with only 56,000 inhabitants. This is a set of installations of great strategic importance, which the Pentagon wants to preserve and secure at all costs against any risk or threat from the governments of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

President-elect Trump's January 7 statement that we need Greenland for national security reasons was made more than five years ago…inconsequential.. Today, the informal request to purchase Greenland was immediately responded to by Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, the nation that has exercised sovereignty over the island since the early 19th century – just over 3 years distant 500 kilometers – as well as by his Minister of Foreign Affairs. , Lars Lkke Rasmussen: Greenland is not for sale.

But the US Department of Defense, and in particular its powerful Space Force, owns the Pituffik space base on the northwest coast of Greenland, the largest island on the planet.. No rockets take off into space from there, but it is an enclave that the Department of Defense under General Lloyd Austin calls the top of the world, located about 700 miles (1,126 kilometers) north of the circle Arctic polar and approximately 1,522 kilometers south of the North Pole.

A privileged observatory in the far north of Russia, the Pituffik base benefits from very high security requirements and, until a few years ago, its very existence was classified top secret.. It is home to the 12th Space Warning Squadron, which operates the gigantic Enhanced Early Warning Radar, a ten-story AN/FPS-120 coded radar, of which only five of its type exist and which specialists call solid-state. phased array.

To keep the ambitions of China and Russia at bay

Developed by the major American technology company Raytheon, its two large fixed flat antennas cover an azimuthal or geographic spectrum of 240 degrees.. The AN/FPS-120 is an early warning radar designed to automatically detect and track the firing of intercontinental ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles launched from the ground or from submarines flying above the atmosphere. Its technology enables rapid target determination, as well as surveillance of outer space and tracking of satellites and spacecraft orbiting the Earth.

The radar operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has a range of more than 4,000 kilometers, reorients in milliseconds and is operated by U.S. and Canadian military personnel and contractors, according to Lt. Col. Brian Beecher, responsible for strategic alert and surveillance. Systems. With the AN/FPS-120, we can detect ballistic missile threats as early as possible and begin activating warning and defense procedures, he said.

In terms of space activities, the missions of the 12 Space Warning Squadron are complemented by those of a detachment of the 23 Space Operations Squadron, whose installations are located some 5.6 kilometers south of the Pituffik base. The detachment has a telelocation station, which operates several 14 and 12 meter dishes, allowing it to contact satellites in polar orbit 10 to 12 times a day.

Sophisticated radar personnel monitor, control and track telemetry 24/7 from more than 190 DoD, NASA and allied spy, communications, navigation and weather satellites positioned in low, medium orbits and beyond 36,000 kilometers. Many observe Vladimir Putin's clear commitment to the Arctic region, where since 2000 he has reopened or modernized military bases, erected new radars, deployed S-300 and S-400 missile systems, and modernized and expanded runways. military landing planes.

The particular living conditions at the base, in the perimeter of responsibility and around Pituffik require a military unit to facilitate the protection, security and safety of the military base.. That's the job of the 821st Security Forces Squadron, called the Arctic Wolves, which provides internal security and perimeter defense for what is the Pentagon's largest military base outside the United States, with an area of ​​responsibility covering 657.86 square kilometers.

Broader logistics services are covered by the 821st Support Squadron, which is responsible for the maintenance and support of base infrastructure, local area network, IT support and daily operations.. It is also responsible for keeping the airfield's 3 kilometer airstrip open, air traffic control, air cargo terminal management and port services.

A Cold War military base restored to its 21st century glory

Its functions include catering, laundry, medical and health services, recreational activities, as well as keeping the 500 tracked and wheeled vehicles operational or under repair and managing the enormous quantities of fuel needed to operate and live on the base, located 104 kilometers from the nearest town, Qaanaaq, which has a population of approximately 600.

Due to its location in the far north of the Earth, Pituffik is in constant darkness from November to February and winter temperatures range from -13 to -20 Celsius, although temperatures drop as low as -80 Celsius.. Sunlight shines from May to August, and during the short summer, temperatures range from 30 degrees Celsius to 44 degrees Celsius, with peaks above 60 degrees Celsius. All this means that the assignments of its approximately 600 soldiers are for periods of 12 months.

Trump's interest in the Arctic and Greenland is not personal, but is a high priority for the National Security Council and the highest political and military authorities in Washington.. This is underscored by the fact that the White House released the national strategy for the region in July 2022, the Department of Defense did so in July 2024, and the Army, Navy, and U.S. Army American air companies have written documents on this subject.

The Antony Blinken-led State Department has a diplomatic plan for the region. In 2020, it reopened the consulate in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, which had been closed in 1953. A coordinator for Arctic affairs was appointed, who since last October has been Ambassador Michael Sfraga, a geographer by training and originally from Alaska, who prior to his current position was founder and director of the Polar Institute and chairman of the United States Arctic Research Commission.

The origins of the Pituffik base date back to 1946, when Danish and American soldiers created a combined radio and weather station.. During the summers of the early 1950s, at the start of the Cold War, what was known as Thule Air Base was built, which on April 6, 2023 was renamed Pituffik Space Base and placed under the control of the Space Force under the command of General Chance. Saltzman. It should not be forgotten that Denmark and the United States have a defense treaty that supports Washington's military presence in Greenland.

Activities in the Arctic region are under the auspices of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental cooperation forum between Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. United for the protection and sustainability of the fragile Arctic and the six indigenous peoples. ' communities that inhabit its lands, which are permanent participants in the Council. Another 38 countries and organizations, including Spain and China, participate in the Arctic Council as observers.