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The United States plans to establish two additional military sites in Greenland under a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland.
The agreement would expand the U.S. military presence in the Arctic while leaving Greenland under Danish sovereignty.
The United States plans to reopen a former Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and establish another military site on the island’s east coast under a new security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, according to people familiar with the arrangement. The sites are Narsarsuaq, where the United States previously operated the Bluie West One base, and Mestersvig, a Danish military outpost currently used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a special forces unit.
The agreement is expected to be signed Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York by representatives of the United States, Denmark and Greenland. Its full text has not been released, and sources told Reuters that some details remain subject to finalization before the signing. The governments of Denmark and Greenland had not immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment on the reported military arrangements.
The planned expansion would add to the U.S. presence at Pituffik Space Base, the only American military installation currently operating in Greenland. During the Cold War, the United States maintained 17 military installations and more than 10,000 personnel on the island, but that presence was substantially reduced after the Cold War ended. About 150 U.S. military personnel are currently based at Pituffik, according to Reuters.
The agreement follows months of tension over Greenland after President Donald Trump repeatedly argued that the United States should control the strategically located Arctic territory and at times declined to rule out military or economic pressure to achieve that goal. Greenland remains a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and Trump’s campaign to expand U.S. control triggered a diplomatic dispute with Copenhagen and concerns within NATO.
Under the emerging agreement, Denmark says responsibility for Arctic security will be shared through NATO rather than being left solely to the United States and Denmark. Danish officials have also said the arrangement respects Greenland’s sovereignty. The agreement is expected to strengthen the military alliance’s role in Arctic security while allowing Washington to increase its military presence in the territory.
The two locations have different historical and strategic significance. Narsarsuaq was once home to Bluie West One, a U.S. base established during World War II and later closed in the 1950s. Mestersvig, farther east, is currently associated with Denmark’s Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, which operates in the remote Arctic region as part of Denmark’s efforts to maintain sovereignty across Greenland’s vast territory.
The reported agreement does not transfer sovereignty over Greenland to the United States. Instead, it represents a negotiated expansion of U.S. military access and Arctic security cooperation after months of political tension between Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk. The agreement is expected to face further political and parliamentary processes in Denmark and Greenland after signing.
Sources: Reuters and The Globe and Mail.