While the primary factor in Greenland’s geopolitical importance is widely seen to be its considerable reserves of rare earth minerals, it’s strategic location near the Arctic provides a number of advantages in a potential conflict between the Western Bloc and Russia.
Reflecting prevailing Russian concerns regarding the ongoing expansion of American forces on Greenland, Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin observed: «The island-based US Pituffik Space Base [formerly known as Thule Air Base] today is a part of the US’ system for warning about a nuclear strike from the Arctic direction. It is undergoing comprehensive modernization, including radar systems worth billions of dollars. It is also building airfield infrastructure for F-35 fighter jets, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Such jets have already used the base’s airfield for training.”
«Russia supports boosting stability in the Arctic. It is possible only on the foundation of creating a system of international security equal for all Arctic states,” the ambassador added.
While F-35 deployments to Greenland have been made in the past, and these are expected to grow into a possible permanent presence, the dangers posed to Russian security by their nuclear strike capabilities remain limited. Greenland is situated approximately 3800 kilometers from the Russian border, while the combat radius of the F-35 is only around 1000 kilometers.
Even the world’s longest ranged fighters, the Russian Su-34 and Chinese J-20, have combat radii estimated at only around 2000 kilometers on internal fuel, with no fighter class in the Western world capable of covering anything close to such distances.
Although F-35 deployments are frequently supported by aerial refueling assets such as KC-135 tankers, a quadrupling of the fighters’ range remains far from viable even with such support.
While threat of F-35s launching nuclear strikes on Russian territory thus appears limited, F-35s could nevertheless be used to threaten shipping in the Arctic from Russia and other Western adversaries, with their powerful network sensors allowing them to maintain situational awareness over wide areas while on patrol.
The issue of the F-35’s nuclear capabilities has been particularly sensitive for Russia, with assessments in November 2023 having concluded the new B61-13 tactical nuclear bomb would allow a single F-35 to kill up to approximately 360,000 inhabitants of Russian cities in a single strike.