The United States plans to reopen a former Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and establish a new military presence on the island’s east coast under a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, according to multiple people familiar with the deal. The agreement is expected to significantly expand the U.S. military footprint in the Arctic while keeping Greenland under Danish sovereignty.
The agreement, expected to be signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, would expand U.S. military operations beyond the existing Pituffik Space Base, the only permanent American military installation currently operating in Greenland.
Under the proposed deal, the United States would reopen the former Bluie West One military base in Narsarsuaq, southern Greenland, and establish a new military presence in Mestersvig on Greenland’s eastern coast. Mestersvig is currently home to Denmark’s elite Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a special forces unit responsible for patrolling Greenland’s remote Arctic territory.
Narsarsuaq, once a major U.S. military air base during the Cold War, has since become a small settlement with only a few dozen residents after American forces withdrew in the 1950s. The agreement would restore a U.S. military presence there for the first time in decades.
The text of the agreement has not yet been made public, and officials familiar with the negotiations said its details remain subject to final approval until it is formally signed. Neither the governments of Denmark and Greenland nor the White House commented publicly before the signing.
Arctic security under NATO framework
Danish officials have described the agreement as a NATO-centered security arrangement rather than a bilateral expansion of U.S. power. Copenhagen has said placing Arctic security under NATO oversight helps strengthen collective defense and avoids making Greenland’s security solely a matter between Denmark and the United States.
Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, occupies a strategically important position between North America and the Arctic Ocean. The island has gained increasing geopolitical significance because of its location, critical mineral resources and expanding Arctic shipping routes.
Deal follows months of pressure from Trump
The agreement follows months of pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who repeatedly argued that Greenland was vital to U.S. national security and refused to rule out military or economic measures to gain control of the territory. His comments triggered diplomatic tensions within NATO and were strongly rejected by Danish and Greenlandic leaders.
During the Cold War, the United States operated 17 military installations in Greenland and stationed more than 10,000 troops on the island. Today, the Pituffik Space Base hosts roughly 150 U.S. military personnel and plays a key role in missile warning, space surveillance and Arctic defense operations.
The new agreement is expected to expand U.S. military capabilities across Greenland without changing the territory’s legal status. Danish and Greenlandic officials have emphasized that Greenland’s sovereignty and self-government will remain intact under the deal.
Greenland has been a self-governing territory of Denmark since 1979 and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark. While Greenland is already covered by NATO through Denmark, growing competition in the Arctic between NATO countries, Russia and China has increased the region’s strategic importance in recent years.
