Greenland: Security Perspectives Jørgen Taagholt Jens Claus Hansen translated by Daniel Lufkin he Atlantic Treaty Association was established in 1950 as a group of former Opposition Members Tand politicians from parties backing NATO membership: Social Democrats, Conservative People’s Party and the Left Party. The goal of the Atlantic Treaty Association is to foster understanding of Danish mem- bership in NATO and to advocate political, economic and cultural cooperation among the member nations. Primary emphasis in the activities of the Atlantic Treaty Association is on: • Cooperation with the Baltic states and the Central and Eastern European nations • Activities with young people interested in Danish security policy • Seminars and study tours for teachers from high schools and other educational institutions • Publication of timely articles. In informational and educational activities, we em- phasize: • European security—including the expansion of the EU in depth and breadth; • The role of the United States in European security policy; • The work of NATO and the EU—looking into the future. The Atlantic Treaty Association is a private, voluntary organization whose work is financed from public and private funds. Greenland: Security Perspectives Jørgen Taagholt Jens Claus Hansen translated by Daniel Lufkin Translated from the Danish by Daniel Lufkin. This book may be cited as: Taagholt, Jørgen, and Hansen, Jens Claus. 2001. Greenland: Security Perspectives. Trans. Daniel Lufkin. Fairbanks, Alaska: Arctic Research Consortium of the United States. This report is published by ARCUS with funding provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Arctic Social Sciences Program under cooperative agreement OPP-9727899. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. ARCUS, 3535 College Road, Suite 101, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA 99709 • 907/474-1600 • fax 907/474-1604 • [email protected] • www.arcus.org Table of Contents Foreword .....................................................................................................6 Introduction .................................................................................... 6 Outline ............................................................................................. 6 Documentation and Sources .......................................................... 7 Evolution of the Concept of Security .......................................................9 General ............................................................................................ 9 Trends in Danish Security Policy ................................................... 9 Deepening the Concept of Security Levels ................................... 9 Broadening the Scope of the Concept of Security Sectors ........ 11 Greenland’s Strategic Position ...............................................................13 Geostrategic Situation................................................................... 13 Military Strategic Situation ........................................................... 14 Greenland’s History ................................................................................16 Greenland Before World War II .............................................................18 American Interests ........................................................................ 18 Danish Isolation Policy ................................................................. 18 Greenland During World War II.............................................................21 General .......................................................................................... 21 The German Occupation ............................................................. 21 The Greenland Treaty of 1941 ..................................................... 23 Greenland at the Beginning of the Cold War .......................................27 The Security Policy Situation in Greenland 1945–1949............. 27 The Security Policy Situation in Greenland 1949–1951............. 28 The Defense Treaty of 1951 ......................................................... 29 Greenland During Cold War I: 1951–1980 ...........................................31 Denmark in NATO........................................................................ 31 Greenland in the Danish Commonwealth .................................. 31 Thule Air Base ............................................................................... 32 Relocation of the Thule Population in 1953 .............................. 34 Strategic Warning Systems ............................................................ 35 Danish Reservations to NATO Policies........................................ 37 3 Greenland: Security Perspectives Guidelines for Allied Maneuver Activities ................................... 37 The H. C. Hansen Letter of 1957 ................................................ 38 The Greenland Card..................................................................... 39 Research Activities in Greenland ................................................. 40 Overflights of Greenland ............................................................. 40 The B-52 Accident......................................................................... 42 The Policy of Detente ................................................................... 44 The Main Features of Security Policy 1951–1980 ....................... 44 Greenland During Cold War II: 1980–1989 ........................................ 46 The Security Policy Situation in Greenland ................................ 46 The New American Strategy ......................................................... 46 A Greenland Security Policy Perspective..................................... 48 Modernization of BMEWS at Thule Air Base.............................. 51 Establishment of the North Warning System .............................. 51 Greenland After the Cold War .............................................................. 54 The Military, Political, and Economic Situation ......................... 54 Greenland’s Changed Strategic Significance ........................ 54 New Politicalization of Security Policy in Greenland ........... 54 New Role for Thule Air Base .................................................. 56 The Tasks of the Danish Defense ........................................... 57 The Community Situation ............................................................ 60 Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)............................ 60 Inuit Cooperation in the Polar regions ................................. 61 The Environmental Situation ....................................................... 62 General .................................................................................... 62 Environmental Measurements in the Ice .............................. 63 Nuclear Fallout........................................................................ 66 Future Security Policy Relationships in Greenland ............................. 69 The Military Situation ................................................................... 69 Strategic Significance.............................................................. 69 International Disarmament .................................................... 69 The Political and Social Situation................................................ 71 Introduction ............................................................................ 71 The Independence Movement in Greenland ....................... 72 Perspectives for Expanded Independence ............................ 73 The Economic Situation ............................................................... 75 Utilization of Minerals ............................................................ 76 Utilization of Oil ..................................................................... 77 4 Utilization of Water................................................................. 78 Exploration of the Continental Shelf .................................... 79 Summary ................................................................................................. 83 Bibliography ............................................................................................ 85 Abbreviations .......................................................................................... 88 Attachment 1—Historical Overview...................................................... 90 Attachment 2—American Bases in Greenland .....................................91 Attachment 3—Danish Defense in Greenland ..................................... 92 Attachment 4—Greenland Home Rule’s Primary International Relationships ......................................... 93 5 Foreword Introduction Following the end of the Cold War, Greenland has played a limited role in global security policy. Nevertheless, an intensive debate has taken place in the Danish media about Greenland’s role in the Cold War, with a significant polarization of opinion concerning the American presence in Greenland. This debate and the discussion about open- ness in the existing sources on the subject gave rise to the preparation of a 1997 report from the nongovernmental Danish Institute of Inter- national Affairs, Greenland During the Cold War, on U.S. overflights of Greenland with atomic weapons and the role of Thule Air Base during the period from 1945 to 1968. Based upon Greenland and the Polar Region