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U.S., Denmark and Greenland sign open-ended defense pact allowing new U.S. bases

The agreement signed in New York lets the U.S. set up defense areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, expand Pituffik, and screen non-allied investment in sensitive sectors. It has no end date.

Motion Media News Staff

Sep 22, 2026

3 minutes

Two uniformed officers stand on a pier at Pituffik Space Base looking toward an iceberg in a fjord ringed by hills.

Photo: Lt. Alex Fairbanks (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons (source)

President Trump signed a defense agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, Sept. 22, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, allowing the United States to open new military sites on the Arctic island and giving the pact no end date.

The agreement text, published by the White House, amends the 1951 U.S.-Danish accord on Greenland's defense. It lets the U.S. modernize and expand Pituffik Space Base and establish a defense area at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, with details to be worked out jointly. Either side can propose further sites; if talks in the Permanent Committee stall for 90 days, they move up to deputy ministers and then ministers.

Key terms

U.S. aircraft may fly over and land anywhere in Greenland, and U.S. public vessels get undersea access to its territorial waters, unless the parties agree otherwise. Those rights must respect Greenlandic hunting, fishing and traditional life "to the maximum extent possible."
No country outside NATO may set up military installations or keep a persistent military presence in Greenland without the parties' consent.
States or investors from outside NATO, NATO partner countries and the EU may not gain control, significant influence or sensitive non-public information in sectors such as critical infrastructure and resource extraction, unless the parties agree.
If Greenland becomes independent, Denmark and Greenland must ensure the new state stays in NATO and takes on Denmark's obligations under the pact.
Contracts for building and servicing U.S. defense areas go to Greenlandic businesses "to the maximum extent possible."

The text also cites a possible Golden Dome missile defense system among the reasons for U.S. access. It takes effect once Denmark and Greenland notify Washington that parliamentary procedures are complete.

What leaders said

In remarks compiled by the White House, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it "a deal that can last forever," and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said, "Your security is our security." Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the talks "a bumpy ride" and stressed respect for Danish sovereignty and Greenlanders' right to self-determination. The White House said the deal comes at no cost to U.S. taxpayers.

In Nuuk, reaction was relieved but wary, Reuters reported via Defense News. "Trust really needs to be rebuilt," said Malene Vahl Rasmussen, mayor of Kujalleq municipality, where Narsarsuaq is located. Pituffik currently hosts about 150 U.S. personnel, according to Reuters, down from 17 installations and more than 10,000 personnel during the Cold War.

What's next

Mestersvig, a remote east coast airstrip now staffed by three Danish soldiers, overlooks the GIUK gap between Greenland, Iceland and Britain, Reuters reported. Reuters said Washington had not publicly disclosed what it intends to build there.