Greenland deal could open 2 additional sites to US military

The United States would gain access to two more military locations in Greenland under an agreement signed Tuesday, potentially expanding the Pentagon’s presence on the strategic Arctic island.

Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the island’s eastern coast would be opened for U.S. military use, Reuters reported this week, citing three people familiar with the agreement. The U.S. currently operates out of Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland.

The new agreement comes as NATO increases its focus on defending the Arctic amid concerns about Russian military activity in the High North and growing maritime traffic in an area where melting ice is opening new sea routes.

The Pituffik Space Base sign as seen at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, on April 6, 2023. Pituffik is currently the only U.S. military installation in Greenland, where American forces conduct missile warning and space surveillance missions. (Kaitlin Frazier/U.S. Space Force)

A White House official told Reuters that the arrangement would strengthen the security of both the United States and Greenland.

The agreement, finalized on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, would bring Greenland more firmly under NATO’s framework while giving Washington additional access, according to Reuters.

Narsarsuaq has a long connection to the U.S. military. American forces established a base there, known at the time as Bluie West One, during World War II. The airfield became an important stopover for aircraft moving between North America and Europe.

The United States has had extensive access to military locations in Greenland going back to the early days of the Cold War, when thousands of American forces operated on the island.

American and Danish troops trek up the mountains of Mestersvig, Greenland, on March 6, 2024. Mestersvig, a Danish military outpost on Greenland’s east coast, is among two installations expected to open to Pentagon use this week under a new defense agreement involving Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. (Andrew Estrada/U.S. Army)

The U.S. steadily cut back troop levels over the years. Today, about 200 U.S. troops are stationed at Pituffik, which supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions.

During President Donald Trump’s second term, he has made the island’s status a major security focal point.

Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. should control the semiautonomous Danish territory, at times refusing to rule out using military or economic force to acquire it. He has also threatened to pull U.S. forces out of Europe if Washington wasn’t given more control of Greenland.

Last week, Trump announced that a breakthrough had been reached in negotiations with Denmark that addressed U.S. security concerns.

The deal will give the United States “the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland” to provide security, Trump said on his Truth Social site Friday.