What does Greenland have to do with the “Golden Dome” project?
Author: Tolib Aliev, analyst, especially for “Sangar”
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on January 21, 2026, at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Greenland is a territory of the USA. He also explained that the island is necessary for Washington to establish the “Golden Dome” missile defense system (MD).
The American leader had raised the issue of developing this project even during his first presidential term (2017–2021), but at that time, these ideas did not progress. The decree to create the new missile defense system was signed by him on January 28, 2025, immediately after returning to the White House for his second term.
The “Golden Dome” system envisions the creation of a network combining existing missile defense elements (GBI ground-based missiles, THAAD anti-missiles, ships equipped with the Aegis system, and Standard SM-3 interceptors) with future developments. At the core of the new system is the idea of continuous global monitoring—from ground-based radars to a satellite constellation of interceptors in orbit.
In September 2025, the program director, U.S. Space Forces General Michael Getlein, presented the project development plan. According to Reuters sources, the plan includes creating a satellite constellation of 400 to 1,000 satellites for missile detection and 200 satellites equipped with kinetic interceptors (missiles) or lasers for their destruction. The system will have four defense layers (one space-based and three ground-based) with eleven batteries deployed across the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. However, there was no need to involve Greenland’s territory.
Now the question arises: why does Trump need this huge island if Greenland was not included in the deployment plan of the “Golden Dome” and in statements about protecting the U.S. from Russia and China? In reality, it is impossible to even guess. At first glance, he seems to say everything and hide nothing, but in fact, there are things he never talks about and keeps secret.
U.S. steps to expand its military presence in space indicate Washington’s intention to control near-Earth space, which in the medium term would allow it to dictate conditions on the international stage. Experts also agree that the “Golden Dome” missile defense system could become a tool for exerting pressure on Russia and China in arms control negotiations.
