US To Open 2 New Military Bases in Greenland: Report
The US will reopen its Cold War-era base at Narsarsuaq and establish a presence at Mestersvig in eastern Greenland under a tripartite pact with Denmark and Greenland set for signing at the UN General Assembly. The deal, which places Arctic security under NATO oversight, follows months of diplomatic pressure from President Trump over Greenland's strategic territory.
The United States plans to re-establish a Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and set up another installation on the island's east coast under a tripartite security deal to be signed with Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter. The designated sites are Narsarsuaq, where the population has dwindled to a few dozen residents since the US decommissioned its Bluie West One airfield in the 1950s, and Mestersvig, an eastern military outpost currently utilised by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite Danish naval special forces unit.
Denmark, Greenland, and the United States are scheduled to sign the agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City at 10:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Tuesday, September 22, Reuters reported. The official text of the agreement has not been made public, and the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that specific operational provisions would remain subject to finalisation until the formal signing takes place. US-Greenland Deal: Donald Trump Announces Permanent Security Control, Bans Adversary Bases.
Diplomatic Pressure and NATO Oversight
A White House spokesperson declined to detail the specific clauses of the agreement, reiterating an earlier statement that its signing on Tuesday would "secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States." The governments of Denmark and Greenland did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Danish officials emphasised that the agreement places Arctic regional security under the broader multilateral framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), rather than leaving jurisdiction exclusively to bilateral arrangements between the United States and Denmark. Iceland Summons US Ambassador After Donald Trump Posts Map Showing Island Under American Flag.
The pact concludes months of heightened diplomatic tension driven by US President Donald Trump, who has consistently stated an ambition to assert American control over Greenland and had previously declined to rule out utilising military or economic pressure to acquire the semi-autonomous territory. The proposal to alter Greenland’s political status has faced overwhelming rejection among Greenlanders in public opinion polling. Trump’s rhetoric, which peaked in January, prompted friction within the NATO alliance and led Copenhagen and Nuuk to enter structured negotiations with Washington to defuse geopolitical strain.
Historical Precedent and Shifting Arctic Footprint
The reactivation of the two sites represents the most notable expansion of American defense assets in Greenland since the drawdown following the Cold War. During that era, the United States maintained 17 military installations and stationed more than 10,000 personnel across the island.
In recent decades, Washington's permanent presence has contracted to a single outpost: Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) in Greenland's remote northwest, manned by approximately 150 US personnel to support space surveillance and missile warning networks. The reactivation of Narsarsuaq and the addition of Mestersvig will broaden the alliance's surveillance capacity across North Atlantic maritime choke points and Arctic transit corridors.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 22, 2026 02:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
