US Plans Two New Military Bases in Greenland Under Deal With Denmark

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he United States plans to establish two new military bases in Greenland under an agreement expected to be signed with Denmark and Greenland at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter.

The planned sites are Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the island’s east coast, where a military outpost is currently used by Denmark’s Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a special forces unit. The plans would expand the US military presence in Greenland at a time of heightened strategic interest in the Arctic and months after President Donald Trump repeatedly called for greater US control over the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters that the agreement would allow Washington to re-establish a military presence at Narsarsuaq, the location of the former Bluie West One base that the United States closed in the 1950s. Narsarsuaq, once an important US military installation, now has only a few dozen residents.

Two of the sources said Mestersvig would also be included in the agreement. The remote site is currently associated with the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, which operates in Greenland’s vast northeastern territory.

The three governments are expected to sign the agreement at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday. The full text has not been made public, and the people familiar with the negotiations said some details could remain unresolved until the signing.

Neither the Danish nor Greenlandic governments immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment. A White House spokesperson also declined to provide details, referring instead to an earlier statement saying the agreement would “secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States.”

Agreement follows months of tension over Greenland

The proposed bases come after months of political and diplomatic pressure from Trump, who has repeatedly argued that the United States should control Greenland. At various points, Trump declined to rule out using economic or military pressure to acquire the territory.

Greenland remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark but has extensive self-government. Trump’s demands have been overwhelmingly rejected by Greenlanders, according to polling cited by Reuters.

The US president’s comments, particularly during a period of heightened pressure in January, generated a diplomatic crisis within NATO and prompted Denmark and Greenland to seek negotiations with Washington. The talks were aimed at reducing tensions while addressing US concerns about Arctic security.

Denmark has presented the new agreement as part of a broader NATO-based approach to security in the region. According to the Danish government, the arrangement would place Arctic security within the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization rather than leaving responsibility solely to Washington and Copenhagen.

The agreement could therefore represent a shift in how Denmark and its allies approach the military security of Greenland, while also allowing the United States to strengthen its presence in an area that has become increasingly important for strategic and defence planning.

Greenland’s geographic position between North America and Europe has long given it military significance. Its location also makes the territory important for monitoring activity across the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.

During the Cold War, the United States maintained a much larger military footprint in Greenland. According to Reuters, Washington operated 17 military installations there and had more than 10,000 personnel stationed on the island.

That presence declined substantially after the Cold War. Today, the United States operates Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, which has around 150 US military personnel.

New bases could expand US arctic presence

The return to Narsarsuaq would mark a significant development because the site previously served as an important US military facility. Bluie West One was established during World War Two and later became part of the American military network across Greenland before closing in the 1950s.

Mestersvig, meanwhile, is located in a remote part of eastern Greenland and has traditionally supported Denmark’s military and surveillance activities through the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol.

The planned US facilities would therefore add to the existing American military infrastructure while working alongside Danish and NATO capabilities in the Arctic.

The agreement also comes as Arctic security has gained greater importance among NATO members. The region has become increasingly significant for military surveillance, transportation routes and competition among major powers.

For Denmark and Greenland, the agreement could provide a framework for strengthening security cooperation with the United States while keeping Greenland within the Danish realm and the wider NATO defence structure.

For Washington, expanding its military footprint would increase its ability to operate in Greenland and monitor developments in the Arctic without requiring a transfer of sovereignty.

The plans nevertheless remain politically sensitive because they follow Trump’s campaign to increase US influence over Greenland. His earlier statements about acquiring the territory strained relations with Denmark and raised concerns among Greenlandic political leaders.

The new agreement instead appears to focus on military cooperation and security arrangements rather than any change in sovereignty. Its final terms, however, were not yet publicly available at the time of the Reuters report.

If signed as expected, the agreement would represent a notable expansion of US military access in Greenland and a return to locations that once formed part of Washington’s Cold War defence network. It would also underline the growing strategic importance of the Arctic to the United States, Denmark and NATO.

(Source: Reuters)