In brief
A new defence agreement signed on 22 September 2026 lets the United States build military bases at Narsarsuaq in the south and Mestersvig in the east of Greenland. The treaty re‑affirms Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self‑determination, and it excludes non‑NATO states from establishing a presence on the island. Leaders on all sides called the deal a "win‑win‑win" and saw it as a way to settle months of tension sparked by former President Trump’s earlier threats to seize the territory. The agreement requires final parliamentary approval in Denmark and Greenland, but Washington already controls a large space base in the northwest. This pact is widely viewed as a strategic win for the US, while signalling NATO’s continued influence in Arctic security.
Ê°US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed a defence pact on 22 September 2026 that permits Washington to establish two new military bases on the Arctic island. The new sites are at the former civil airport Narsarsuaq in the south and the remote Danish naval outpost Mestersvig in the east.
Ê°The treaty expands an older 1951 agreement and makes it clear that no non‑NATO country can set up a military presence in Greenland. It also reiterates Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self‑determination, while promising the US could modernise its existing Pituffik Space Base in the northwest.
Ê°Leaders described the deal as a "win‑win‑win" and a milestone that ends months of tension sparked by Trump’s earlier threat to annex Greenland for national‑security reasons. The signing was held at the UN General Assembly, where Trump declared the new presence to be “tremendous for Europe and the United States.
Ê°The agreement, however, still needs final approval from both Denmark’s and Greenland’s parliaments before the bases can be constructed. Once approved, the expansion of the US military footprint could shift the strategic balance in the high‑latitudes Arctic region and reinforce NATO’s role.
Ê°The map below shows the current Pituffik base and the planned Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig sites, illustrating the growing US footprint in Greenland.
