The United States plans to re-establish a Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and set up another on the east coast, now used by the Danish dog sled patrol, under a deal to be signed with Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The sites are Narsarsuaq, whose population has dwindled to a few dozen people since the U.S. closed its Bluie West One military base in the 1950s, and Mestersvig, a military outpost used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit, said two of the people.
Denmark, Greenland and the United States are expected to sign their new agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City at 10:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Tuesday. The text of the agreement has not been made public, and the three people familiar with the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said its details will not be finalized until it is signed.
Denmark says the agreement puts Arctic security under the watch of NATO rather than leaving it solely to the U.S. and Denmark. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told national broadcaster TV2 on Sunday that “it (the agreement) will be in a form where responsibility for security in the Arctic is not only Danish or American,” adding that to a large extent “it would be NATO that looks after the Arctic.”
A NATO spokesperson said on Saturday that the alliance welcomed the agreement, which would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region.”
President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday the agreement gives the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” and that no U.S. adversary could have a base or military presence there without Washington’s written approval. Denmark and Greenland have not commented on Trump’s claim but said the deal will benefit the Arctic island and respect its sovereignty.
The deal follows months of pressure from Trump, who has said the United States should control Greenland and at times refused to rule out using military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. His threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic crisis within NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland into negotiations with Washington aimed at defusing the pressure.
During the Cold War, the U.S. maintained 17 military installations and more than 10,000 personnel in Greenland. Today only Pituffik Space Base remains, with some 150 U.S. military personnel.
Key details have not been made public, including whether the deal amends the 1951 defense agreement that is the legal basis for the U.S. presence in Greenland. Copenhagen has earlier acknowledged it underinvested in Greenland’s defense for decades and has pledged to expand its military presence on the island, including more NATO troops.
Sources: Defense News · Defence Blog