The United States plans to re-establish a Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and open another on the east coast under a new defence agreement with Denmark and Greenland, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The sites are Narsarsuaq, where the US previously operated the Bluie West One military base, and Mestersvig, a military outpost currently used by Denmark’s Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a special forces unit, two of the sources said.
Narsarsuaq’s population has fallen to a few dozen since the US closed the base in the 1950s.
Denmark, Greenland and the US are expected to sign the agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in New York at 10:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Tuesday.
The text of the agreement has not been made public, while the sources said some details would not be finalised until the signing.
The governments of Denmark and Greenland did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A White House spokesperson also declined to discuss the details, but repeated an earlier statement that the agreement would “secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States.”
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Denmark said the agreement would place Arctic security under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), rather than leaving responsibility solely to the US and Denmark.
The agreement follows months of pressure from President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants the US to control Greenland and has at times refused to rule out military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Trump’s position triggered a diplomatic crisis within NATO in January and prompted Denmark and Greenland to negotiate with Washington in an effort to ease tensions.
During the Cold War, the US maintained 17 military installations and more than 10,000 personnel in Greenland. Today, only Pituffik Space Base remains, with about 150 US military personnel.
