The United States is planning to reopen a former Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and establish a new military presence at an east coast base currently used by the Danish Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, according to three people familiar with the matter. The agreement is expected to be signed on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City by representatives from the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland.
The sites involved are Narsarsuaq, which saw its population decline after the U.S. closed its Bluie West One base in the 1950s, and Mestersvig, an outpost utilized by a Danish special forces unit. The full details of the agreement have not yet been made public, as the text is not finalized until the signing.
Denmark has stated that this agreement will place Arctic security under the purview of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), rather than leaving it solely to the U.S. and Denmark. This development follows months of diplomatic pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously expressed a desire for the U.S. to control Greenland and had not ruled out using military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. Trump's statements, which intensified in January, led to a diplomatic rift within NATO and prompted negotiations between Washington, Denmark, and Greenland.
During the Cold War, the U.S. operated 17 military installations in Greenland, employing over 10,000 personnel. Currently, only Pituffik Space Base remains operational, with approximately 150 U.S. military personnel stationed there.