US, Denmark and Greenland to Sign Arctic Security Pact as Narsarsuaq Eyed for Base
The US, Denmark and Greenland are set to sign a security agreement that may include two new American bases, with Narsarsuaq's airport drawing US interest.
The United States, Denmark and Greenland were set to sign an agreement on Tuesday aimed at bolstering security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, a move that could lower tensions triggered by President Donald Trump's repeated calls for Greenland to become part of the United States.
The signing was expected on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Officials did not release the terms of the accord before the ceremony.
Danish public broadcaster DR reported that the agreement provides for the establishment of two new US bases in Greenland. It also noted that Washington has shown repeated interest in the airport at Narsarsuaq, a settlement in southern Greenland.
The deal appeared likely to ease friction between the United States, Denmark and the European Union that arose after Trump expressed a desire for Greenland to join the US and issued threats to seize the semiautonomous Danish territory, a NATO ally.
For decades, the American military footprint in Greenland was far larger. Since 1945, the US presence has shrunk from thousands of soldiers spread across more than 17 bases and installations on the island to just the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, which hosts roughly 200 troops today.