Trump Appoints Top US Arctic Research Position to Key Person Behind Greenland Visits
Tom Dans has a background in international investment, public service, industry and has recently been involved in promoting closer US-Greenlandic ties, often being characterized as "Trump's man in Greenland". (Photo: Hilde Bye / High North News).
US President Trump has appointed Tom Dans to lead the federal agency that advises the White House and Congress on America’s research activities in the Arctic. Dans has recently been involved in promoting closer US-Greenlandic ties.
US President Donald Trump has appointed Thomas Emanuel Dans to lead the United States Arctic Research Commission (USARC).
The Commission is an independent federal agency that advises the President and Congress on America’s research activities in the Arctic.
“I am honored to serve President Trump and our nation by helping lead the United States’ vital research mission in the Arctic. The Arctic forms the “roof” of our Western Hemisphere, home to our beloved United States, and the most important region in the world," Dans said in a statement.
Dans, who has been characterized as "Trump's man in Greenland," has a background in finance and venture investing, and is the founder of non-profit American Daybreak, which seeks to promote closer US-Greenlandic ties.
Dans and American Daybreak was a.o. involved in organizing the visit to Greenland by US President Donald Trump's son in January 2025, as well as inviting Second Lady Usha Vance and other US senior administration officials to visit the country just over a month later.
The latter trip was originally planned as a cultural visit, but the itinerary was later changed and expanded to include Vice President JD Vance. Both trips have been highly debated, taking place in midst of President Trump's continued statements about US control over Greenland.
During Trump's first term, Dans served at U.S. Treasury as Counselor for International Affairs. He was also appointed to serve as Commissioner to USARC in 2020 by Trump.
Most Recent Chairs of USARC
- In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed Alaskan Dr. Michael Sfraga as Chair of USARC. Sfraga is the founding director of the Wilson Center's Polar Institute, and among other things, he was the first U.S. Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs at the US Department of State.
- Professor and ocean scientist Dr. Larry Mayer was appointed Chair of USARC in November 2024. Mayer is the founding director of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire.
Pivot to national security focus
"America’s Arctic research enterprise undergirds our vital national security interests. It generates essential knowledge, inputs and understanding to inform planning and decision-making across our nation, our larger world," Dans further notes in the statement, while adding that the domains range from a.o. security and defense, trade and transportation, and resource development and management, food and agriculture, energy, and health.
"Our Commission looks forward to working with the great people of Alaska, all states of the Arctic, and with the greater community of peaceful nations," Dans said in closing.
The appointment of the new Chair comes at the end of a year where the US has made several cuts to research funding, primarily through the National Science Foundation, which have also affected Arctic domains.
Among other things, High North News has reported on the shutdown of the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), and that the closing furthermore reflected a pivot in US Arctic research toward a much stronger focus on security and energy development, away from issues such as climate research.
In addition to ARCUS, cuts and layoffs also hamper institutions such as the Wilson Center's Polar Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
