Donald Trump Signs U.S.-Denmark-Greenland Defense Agreement To Expand Military Bases

U.S. bases in Greenland

President Donald Trump signed a 10-page agreement with Greenland and Denmark that bolsters the U.S. military presence on the mineral-rich and strategically located island while keeping Greenland part of Denmark.

Democracy Now! said the United States already has one active military base and around 160 troops on the ground in Greenland, and the new agreement allows the U.S. to build two new bases.

The agreement signed with Denmark and Greenland would still apply if Greenland eventually chooses independence, and it was signed shortly after Trump’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly last week.

The White House released the text of the deal, and the agreement allows the U.S. to modernize and expand its activities at the Space Force base at Pituffik.

The agreement also permits U.S. defense areas at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the east coast, while it does not set troop levels or a timetable for building the new sites.

Reporting for this sectionDemocracy Now!finchannel

NATO, Russia, China

Denmark’s U.N. ambassador Christina Lassen told the U.N. annual gathering that the security agreement “strengthens the defense of Greenland, the NATO area, and the American continent,” and she said it is “good for Greenland, for Denmark, for the United States, for NATO and Europe, and for international peace and security.” Trump said just before the agreement was signed, “This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody,” and he added, “And for Greenland, it’s going to be incredible.” The agreement’s restrictions on non-NATO countries’ influence in Greenland targeted Western concerns about Russia and China in the Arctic, and it also restricts a persistent military presence by states outside NATO unless the parties agree otherwise.

Mark Rutte welcomed the signing of the agreement, writing that “this agreement, together with NATO's growing role in securing this vital region, enhances our collective security and supports a safer and more stable future for all of us.” Jeanne Shaheen criticized Trump’s threats ahead of the agreement, saying “After months of threatening our NATO Ally Denmark and disregarding the will of the Greenlandic people, President Trump has reached a ‘deal’ that essentially returns the US-Greenland defense relationship to where it was before.”

Reporting for this sectionABC NewsCNN

What remains unsettled

The agreement published by the White House reaffirms Danish sovereignty and recognizes the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination, but it specifies no spending amount, number of Greenlandic jobs, or guaranteed value of local contracts. finchannel said the outcomes depend on decisions still to be made about the scale of construction and operations, and it also said the text does not set troop levels or a timetable for building the new sites. The agreement offers no direct cash payment to Greenland or Denmark, and it instead includes a contracting provision in which the United States commits to award contracts for goods and services connected to defense areas “to the maximum extent possible.”

The agreement also permits the United States to raise objections to nearby construction or changes in land use that it considers a security threat, after which the parties must determine a response together. CBC quoted Mikkel Runge Olesen saying the deal is “a moderate improvement for the U.S.,” while also describing it as “a moderate improvement that has come at an immense cost.”

Reporting for this sectionfinchannelCBC