Date: September 21, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
The United States plans to reopen a former Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and establish another military presence on the island’s east coast under a new security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The two sites are Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the east coast, Reuters reported. Narsarsuaq was formerly home to the U.S. military installation known as Bluie West One, which the United States closed in the 1950s. Mestersvig is currently used by Denmark’s Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a special forces unit responsible for patrolling and asserting Danish sovereignty in parts of Greenland.
Denmark, Greenland and the United States are expected to formally sign the new agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. The signing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, according to Reuters.
The full text of the agreement has not yet been made public. The people familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that some details were still expected to be finalized before the agreement is signed. The governments of Denmark and Greenland did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment, while the White House declined to discuss the specific details.
A White House spokesperson said in an earlier statement that the agreement would help "secure and defend" the security of Greenland and the United States. Denmark has said the arrangement will place Arctic security within the broader responsibility of NATO rather than leaving it solely to Washington and Copenhagen.
The planned expansion of the American military presence comes after months of pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump over Greenland. Trump has repeatedly said that the United States should control the strategically located Arctic territory and had previously refused to rule out using economic or military pressure to achieve that objective.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and remains under Danish sovereignty. Trump's statements about acquiring the territory triggered a diplomatic dispute involving Denmark, Greenland and other NATO members earlier this year. Negotiations subsequently focused on security cooperation and the American military presence rather than a transfer of sovereignty.
During the Cold War, the United States maintained 17 military installations in Greenland and had more than 10,000 personnel stationed there. The American military presence has since been significantly reduced. At present, the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland is the only U.S. military base on the island, with roughly 150 American personnel, according to Reuters.
The new agreement would therefore represent a significant expansion of the U.S. military footprint in Greenland, although the precise size and function of the proposed facilities have not been publicly disclosed.
The strategic importance of Greenland is linked in part to its location between North America and Europe and its position in the Arctic. The island is also considered important to the security of North Atlantic routes and to monitoring activity across the Arctic region.
Denmark has emphasized that the agreement is intended to strengthen Arctic and North Atlantic security and that Greenland's sovereignty will be respected. Reuters reported that Danish officials view NATO as an important framework for the region's defense responsibilities under the new arrangement.
The planned bases also come amid increasing attention to Arctic security as the United States, Russia and other countries expand their military and strategic activities in the region. The agreement is expected to provide a formal framework for the expanded American presence while maintaining Greenland's status as an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
The agreement is scheduled to be signed Tuesday by representatives of the United States, Denmark and Greenland at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where its final terms are expected to become clearer.