Trump Signs Greenland Deal With Denmark, Clearing Way for Two New U.S. Military Bases

President Donald Trump signed a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland Tuesday that clears the way for two new U.S. military bases on the Arctic island, expanding Washington’s presence after months of tension over his push to acquire Greenland.

Trump joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen for the signing during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Greenland remains a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, while the deal gives the United States substantially greater military access.

Washington can expand and modernize operations at Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland and establish new defense areas at Narsarsuaq in the south and Mestersvig on the east coast. Trump said before the signing that the United States would begin developing what he described as two major military bases.

The pact also allows broader U.S. military movement across Greenland, including undersea access, and provides for a missile defense presence tied to the Trump administration’s planned Golden Dome system. Additional defense areas could be established later.

Much of the legal framework dates to 1951, when the United States and Denmark signed the defense agreement that has governed the American military presence in Greenland for more than seven decades. Tuesday’s deal amends that pact rather than replacing it.

The arrangement also keeps the U.S. presence tied to NATO. The 1951 agreement authorizes American defense areas in Greenland in the United States’ capacity as a party to the North Atlantic Treaty and says it remains in force for the duration of that treaty. The new bases and expanded access granted Tuesday remain part of that structure.

One provision gives the deal potentially long-lasting reach. It has no fixed end date and is designed to continue even if Greenland becomes independent. Greenland already controls many of its domestic affairs, while Denmark retains responsibility for defense, security and foreign policy, and Greenland’s self-government framework provides a path to independence. In that event, Greenland would assume Denmark’s rights and obligations and would have to remain in NATO or apply for membership if necessary.

Military access from outside NATO is also restricted. Countries outside the alliance generally cannot establish military installations or maintain a persistent military presence in Greenland unless the United States, Denmark and Greenland agree otherwise.

Trump characterized the deal more broadly during his U.N. address, saying it gives the United States “permanent control” over Greenland’s security. Frederiksen emphasized NATO’s role and said the arrangement respects Greenland’s right to self-determination. Nielsen also stressed the importance of NATO security in the Arctic.

The signing follows a diplomatic dispute that intensified earlier this year as Trump repeatedly said the United States needed Greenland for national security. He had declined to rule out military or economic pressure as he pushed for American control of the territory, straining relations with Denmark and other NATO allies.

Greenland’s location between North America and the Arctic has long made it important to U.S. defense planning. Pituffik supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the United States and NATO.

American forces once had a much larger presence on the island. During the Cold War, the United States operated 17 installations and stationed more than 10,000 personnel in Greenland. Pituffik is now the only active U.S. military base there.

Narsarsuaq previously housed the U.S. military’s Bluie West One air base before it closed in the 1950s. Mestersvig is currently used by Denmark’s Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a special forces unit operating in Greenland’s remote Arctic territory.

The expansion will be the first major increase in U.S. military infrastructure on Greenland since the Cold War, restoring an American presence at locations beyond Pituffik while keeping the island’s defense arrangements within a NATO framework.

Greenland also gains a more direct role in the international arrangement governing its territory. Greenlandic official Naaja Nathanielsen described the pact as the first binding agreement Greenland has signed as a country and said it gives the territory a larger seat at the table as it pursues greater autonomy.