Why a US move on Greenland would expose Australia’s strategic complacency

Security & Defence PLuS Executive Director, Dr Ian Langford, argues that if the US were to forcibly acquire Greenland, Australia would confront one of its most profound strategic and ethical dilemmas since the end of the Cold War. Such a move would strike at Australia’s alliance settings, its commitment to sovereignty and international law, and its credibility with partners across Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Langford warns that Australia has too often relied on silence and ambiguity, an approach that is increasingly untenable in an era shaped by coercion, grey-zone pressure and great-power competition.

“The real choice is whether Australia remains a passive consumer of other states’ strategy or evolves into a confident strategic actor capable of shaping outcomes, managing risk and defending its interests with clarity.”

Read the full article in the Australian: Why a US move on Greenland would expose Australia’s strategic complacency