Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Trump, Denmark and Greenland Plan Expanded Arctic Security Deal
Donald Trump, Denmark, and Greenland plan to sign a new Arctic security agreement.
The agreement would allow the United States to expand its military presence in Greenland.
The current American facility is Pituffik Space Base.
Two other possible sites are Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig.
Greenland is a self-governing territory connected to Denmark.
Trump had previously talked about wanting the United States to control Greenland and did not rule out using force.
This caused a diplomatic problem among NATO countries.
Denmark says the agreement protects its sovereignty and Greenland’s right to choose its future.
The exact rules of the agreement have not yet been published.
Donald Trump is due to meet Danish and Greenlandic leaders Tuesday to sign an agreement expanding the U.S. military presence in Greenland.
The planned expansion would add sites at Narsarsuaq, a former Cold War airbase, and Mestersvig, used by Denmark’s Sirius Dog Sled Patrol.
The agreement follows Trump’s earlier refusal to rule out military or economic force to acquire Greenland, which triggered a NATO diplomatic crisis in January.
Trump says the deal would give the United States permanent control over Greenland’s security, while Denmark says it respects sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination.
The agreement’s unpublished text leaves unclear whether it will amend a 1951 defense treaty or establish a new legal framework.
- Who
- U.S. President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
- What
- They are due to sign an agreement expanding the United States’ military presence in Greenland.
- When
- Tuesday; the reports give conflicting times of 10:30 a.m. ET, listed as either 1430 or 1630 GMT.
- Where
- At the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
- Why
- The agreement is intended to strengthen Arctic security and ease a diplomatic standoff over Greenland.
Expanded U.S. Security Role
Sovereignty and NATO Oversight
Control of Greenland’s security
Expanded U.S. Security Role
Donald Trump says the agreement would give the United States permanent control over security and other needs in Greenland.
Sovereignty and NATO Oversight
Denmark says the agreement respects the Kingdom of Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination.
Who should oversee Arctic security
Expanded U.S. Security Role
The planned deal would significantly expand the United States’ military infrastructure and role on Greenland.
Sovereignty and NATO Oversight
Denmark says Arctic security should be handled under NATO’s collective watch rather than left solely to the United States and Denmark.
Greenland’s political future
Expanded U.S. Security Role
The agreement shifts policy away from Trump’s earlier ambition to acquire Greenland while securing a larger American military role.
Sovereignty and NATO Oversight
The deal is not described as an acquisition, and its precise legal relationship with Denmark and Greenland remains unclear.
- Existing U.S. facility
- Pituffik Space Base
- Expected additional sites
- Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig
- Greenland’s status
- A semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark
- Greenland’s population
- About 57,000 people
- Current U.S. presence
- The United States has about 150 military personnel at Pituffik Space Base, according to one report.
- Historical U.S. presence
- During the Cold War, the United States maintained 17 installations and more than 10,000 personnel in Greenland.
- Legal status
- The unpublished agreement may amend the 1951 defense treaty or create a new framework.
