The agreement would expand the US military presence in Greenland as Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk seek to strengthen Arctic security amid President Donald Trump’s push for greater US control of the territory. General view of Mestersvig military outpost in Mestersvig, Greenland, September 18, 2025. Reuters
The US plans to re-establish aCold War-era military base in southern Greenland and set up another on the eastcoast, now used by the Danish dog sled patrol, under a deal to be signed withDenmark and Greenland on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with thematter.
The sites are Narsarsuaq, whosepopulation has dwindled to a few dozen people since the US closed its BluieWest One military base in the 1950s, and Mestersvig, a military outpost used bythe Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit, said two of the people.
Denmark, Greenland and theUnited States are expected to sign their new agreement at the United NationsGeneral Assembly in New York City at 10:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Tuesday.
The text of the agreement hasnot been made public and the three people familiar with the deal, speaking oncondition of anonymity, said its details will not be finalized until it issigned.
The governments of Denmark andGreenland did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.
A White House spokespersondeclined to comment on the details of the agreement, repeating an earlierstatement that its signing on Tuesday would “secure and defend the security of Greenland and theUnited States.”
Denmark says the agreement putsArctic security under the watch of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, themilitary defense alliance, rather than leaving it solely to the US and Denmark.
The deal follows months ofpressure from US President Donald Trump, who has long said he wants the US tocontrol Greenland and has at times refused to rule out military or economic force toacquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. The idea has been rejected by anoverwhelming majority of Greenlanders, polling shows.
Trump’s threats, which peakedin January, triggered a diplomatic crisis within NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland intonegotiations with Washington aimed at defusing the pressure.
During the Cold War, the USmaintained 17 military installations and more than 10,000 personnel inGreenland. Today only Pituffik Space Base remains, with some 150 US military personnel.
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