Big US military buildup coming to Greenland after new deal, Trump says

A new agreement could turn Greenland from the site of a single U.S. base into a broader hub for American military operations and missile defense in the Arctic, with two additional sites planned and a path for more.

As expected, the agreement signed Tuesday by the United States, Denmark and Greenland will allow the Pentagon to set up new defense areas at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the island’s remote eastern coast.

It also permits the U.S. to expand operations at Pituffik Space Base, its current military installation on the island. But the deal extends beyond just those locations.

It explicitly authorizes U.S. vessels to travel undersea in Greenland’s territorial waters “without restriction except as mutually agreed upon.”

It also creates a process for establishing additional defense areas, though the implementing of such plans must be approved by all parties.

U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and a KC-135 Stratotanker fly over Greenland, Sept. 16, 2026. The United States, Denmark and Greenland finalized an agreement Sept. 22, 2026, giving the U.S. military near unlimited access across Greenland. (David Brown/U.S. Air Force)

The deal was heralded by President Donald Trump, who touched off a crisis inside NATO last year when he proposed making Greenland part of the United States and refused to rule out the use of force to do so.

The U.S. will “immediately begin the process of developing a significant military presence in appropriate locations and constructing two very important military bases,” Trump said Tuesday.

The planned expansion comes as the Arctic takes on increasing importance in U.S. and NATO defense planning. The agreement cites adversaries’ increased military activity and growing strategic interest in the region.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who in January said a U.S. takeover of Greenland would mean the end of NATO, said the agreement is a “deal that can last forever.”

“Mr. President, you have been very clear: You don’t want adversaries to come too close,” she said. “I fully agree.”

A U.S. Air Force tugboat sits on a trailer with tracks near the Arctic Ocean at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, April 5, 2026. The United States, Denmark and Greenland finalized an agreement Sept. 22, 2026, giving the U.S. military near unlimited access across Greenland. (Ryan Quijas/U.S. Space Force)

Other parts of the deal that grant the U.S. sweeping access to the island predate the one concluded Tuesday.

U.S. military aircraft are allowed to “fly over and land in any territory in Greenland,” and American forces, vehicles, ships and aircraft have the right of “free access to and movement between” defense areas through Greenland by land, air and sea.

Both of those provisions appeared in the 1951 U.S.-Denmark defense agreement and are restated in the new deal.

While providing for a larger U.S. military presence, the agreement also affirms Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.

The three governments also committed to stronger NATO involvement in the region, including increased “planning, presence, exercises, and joint intelligence gathering.”

The agreement does not have an end date but can be amended by mutual consent. It also says that if Greenland becomes independent, it must stay in NATO and honor the agreement.

The text does not say what would happen if the United States withdrew from NATO, a move Trump has repeatedly threatened.

Greenland’s location between North America and Europe has long made it strategically important to the defense of the United States. Pituffik Space Base is a key part of the Pentagon’s missile warning and space surveillance network.

Radar domes at the Thule Tracking Station, part of the U.S. Space Force Satellite Control Network at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, are seen April 8, 2026. The United States, Denmark and Greenland finalized an agreement Sept. 22, 2026, giving the U.S. military near unlimited access across Greenland. (Heather Johnson/U.S. Space Force)

Going forward, the new agreement points toward a larger role for the island in American homeland defense.

It states that the three governments have a shared interest in giving the U.S. military access to Greenland to the extent necessary to defend NATO territory, Greenland and North America, “including through establishment of a Golden Dome defense system.”

The agreement does not identify what future Golden Dome weapons, sensors or other systems could be positioned in Greenland. But it creates a pathway for an American military footprint spread out across the landmass.

Denmark and Greenland also agreed to an accelerated review process for handling U.S. requests for unmanned military installations outside established defense areas.

The pact addressed a top U.S. concern about the potential for China to gain a foothold in Greenland by barring countries outside NATO from setting up military bases or stationing troops in Greenland long term, unless the three governments agree otherwise.

The agreement also extends to commercial investment in Greenland’s vast natural resources, such as rare-earth minerals.

Investors from countries outside NATO and the European Union will be blocked from gaining significant control of such resources, according to the pact, unless all parties involved agree there is no threat.

The agreement received mixed reactions in Washington.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a “huge win” that “permanently guarantees U.S. security interests in the Arctic at zero cost to the U.S. taxpayer.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee, said it “essentially returns” the defense relationship to where it stood before the dispute while leaving the United States with work to do to rebuild allies’ trust.