<p >Statements by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding the "absolute necessity" of integrating Greenland into the United States has drawn renewed attention to the territory’s military significance. While the primary factor in Greenland’s geopolitical significance is widely seen to be it’s considerable reserves of rare earth minerals, it’s strategic location near the Arctic provides significant 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 U.S. Pituffik Space Base [formerly known as Thule Air Base] today is a part of the U.S.’ system for warning about a nuclear strike from the Arctic direction. It is undergoing comprehensive modernisation, including radar systems worth <a href=" >billions of dollars</a>. It is also building airfield infrastructure for F-35 fighter jets, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Such jets have already <a href=" target="_blank">used the base's airfield for training</a>.” "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,”he added.</p><p ><img src=" title="F-35 Drops Test B61 Nuclear Bomb" ></p><p >While F-35s have deployed to Greenland in the past, and are expected to grow, the dangers posed to Russian security by their nuclear bombing capabilities remain limited. Greenland is situated approximately 3800 kilometres from the Russian border, while the combat radius of the F-35 is only around 1000 kilometres. Even the world’s longest ranged fighters the <a href=" target="_blank">Russian Su-34</a> and <a href=" target="_blank">Chinese J-20 </a>have combat radii estimated at only around 2000 kilometres on internal fuel, with no fighter class in the Western world capable of covering anything close to such distances. Although F-35s are supported by aerial refuelling assets such as KC-135 tankers, a quadrupling of the fighters’ range remains far from viable even with such support. While the 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 <a href=" >assessments</a> in November 2023 having concluded the new <a href=" >B61-13 tactical nuclear bomb</a>&nbsp;would allow a single F-35 to kill up to approximately 360,000 inhabitants of Russian cities in a single strike. &nbsp;</p>
Will American F-35 Bases in Greenland Pose a Nuclear Threat to Russia?
