Vice President JD Vance told U.S. service members at a Greenland base that he only recently realized what they were doing there. Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, went on a “national security” visit to the autonomous territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, on Friday. The vice president’s boss, President Donald Trump, has said the US needs Greenland for international safety and security and has suggested his willingness to take it by any means necessary. The Vice President has now fully embraced Trump’s point of view, despite conceding that he understands American’s apprehension over the pursuit of the land. “I think a lot of Americans wonder why does Greenland matter so much?” Vance said during his remarks at the Pituffik Space Base. “And I have learned a lot about that today myself. You can read about it in a book, but I saw it up close and personal." Service members stationed at the base would first give notice to mainland U.S. officials of a potential missile strike from an enemy country, issue a warning and attempt to strike the object down, the vice president said. Countries, including Russia and China, are “taking an extraordinary interest in Artic passageways and Artic naval routes and in the minerals of the Arctic territories,” the vice president added. “We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic because we know if America does not, other nations will fill the gap where we fall behind.” He continued: "What you guys do is so critically important. I think a lot of Americans — certainly I did not realize it fully until President Trump started talking about the importance of our Arctic mission, about building upon it and ensuring America will lead in the Arctic for the next generation." While Vance may have had an enlightening trip, politicians from Greenland and Denmark have voiced their disapproval. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, called it “highly-aggressive,” while Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he did not appreciate the “tone” that the Trump administration has adopted. The itinerary for the trip was massively scaled back, with visits to Greenland’s capital Nuuk and one of the world’s largely dog-sledding events canceled. Danish TV 2 also reported that U.S officials went door-to-door asking if anyone wanted to host the Second Lady. Greenlanders’ response was no, the outlet claimed.