A former CIA covert operations officer has weighed in on one of the most bizarre geopolitical moves in recent memory — President Donald Trump’s escalating push to take control of Greenland, even hinting at a possible military intervention.
Andrew Bustamante, a former Air Force officer and CIA operative, believes Trump’s ambitions in the Arctic run far deeper than what the White House is letting on.
Tariff threats raise tensions between U.S., U.K., and Europe over Denmark
Trump recently threatened to impose tariffs on the United Kingdom and seven other European nations unless the United States is allowed to purchase Greenland, a territory currently controlled by Denmark.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer didn't mince words during a national press conference, blasting the proposed tariffs as “wrong” and affirming that only Greenland and Denmark “have the right to decide what happens to the territory.”
But Trump isn’t backing down, insisting Greenland is essential for “national security” and warning that the U.S. will take the island “the easy way” or “the hard way” — leaving military action clearly on the table.
Ex-intelligence officer points to Arctic dominance and minerals as the real prize
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Bustamante offered a very different view of what’s fueling Trump’s Greenland obsession. He said: "American dominance in the Arctic is critical to American primacy. And that's the argument for Greenland.
"The second argument for Greenland is the importance of American economic independence in the use of not only strategic critical use minerals or rare earth minerals, but also critical minerals.
"So the minerals that are required for economic development, as well as the rare earth minerals that are required for military advancement and weaponisation, both of those exist in Greenland with the benefit of global warming, which is making more and more of Greenland accessible.
"So there is a very real American interest in taking some control over the resources that are in Greenland. However, there is no legal, even by American standards, there's no legal precedent for us to take it by force. So, what does that mean?
"I think there's a very real chance that the United States strikes an economic deal with the independent parties in Greenland that already want independence."
A backdoor commercial takeover? How the U.S. might sidestep Denmark
Rather than launching an all-out diplomatic battle, Bustamante believes Washington might bypass Denmark entirely and work directly with local players.
"So the United States will take control of the parts of Greenland that it wants, and I think it will find a way to do so without undermining NATO.
"However, I don't see an outcome where Denmark is happy. I see an outcome where Greenlanders are happier than, you know, than their parent company or their parent country.
"But it's a very difficult, very difficult thing to predict. How fast, in what ways, et cetera. But we can't, it's not something that's just gonna be forgotten."
No legal case for force — but confusion reigns
While Bustamante ruled out any legal justification for a military takeover, he didn’t completely discount the chaos that could unfold.
"There's no case for them to try to, you know, break their commitment to NATO by moving aggressively, politically or militarily, against the NATO allied, essentially, protectorate. So it's a very strange and confusing situation."
Strategically perched between North America and the Arctic, Greenland offers a prime location for early missile detection systems and maritime surveillance.
But beyond its positioning, the island is packed with high-value natural assets — from uranium and iron to rare earth minerals and possibly oil and gas. Still, Trump insists the motivation isn’t the minerals, saying the focus is strictly on “national security.”
“If it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead”: Why Trump might have the upper hand
While the story has sparked global headlines, Bustamante doesn’t expect it to stay in the spotlight for long.
He believes the public will tune out once any commercial agreements are quietly signed behind the scenes — and Trump knows this.
"But right now, he has a chance to basically continue to assert his power, strategic ambiguity because of his demonstration of power in Venezuela, so why not milk that for all it's worth and make people wonder whether or not they should just kowtow to his demands in Greenland?"