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The United States is set to regain access to a Cold War-era military base in Greenland and plans to establish another military facility on the island’s east coast under a new agreement with Denmark and Greenland, Reuters reported.
The agreement, due to be signed on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, will give the US access to military facilities at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the island’s east coast, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Two of the people said Narsarsuaq, once home to the US Bluie West One military base, was largely depopulated after Washington closed the facility in the 1950s. Its population has since fallen to only a few dozen.
The agreement is expected to be signed at around 10:30am Greenland time (1430 GMT) on Tuesday. Its text has not yet been made public, and the sources said details could change before the signing.
The Danish and Greenlandic governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the details of the agreement but reiterated previous statements that the deal would help ensure and protect the security of Greenland and the United States.
Denmark has said the agreement would strengthen Arctic security through NATO surveillance and defence rather than relying solely on the United States or Denmark.
The deal comes amid US President Donald Trump’s longstanding push for greater US control over Greenland. Trump has repeatedly said he wants the strategically located, autonomous Danish territory under US control and has not ruled out using economic or military pressure to achieve that goal.
Opinion polls, however, have shown that a large majority of Greenlanders oppose becoming part of the United States.
Trump’s pressure peaked in January, triggering a diplomatic crisis within NATO and prompting Denmark and Greenland to engage in talks with Washington in an effort to ease tensions.
Greenland has long been strategically important to the United States because of its location between North America and Europe and its position in the Arctic.
During the Cold War, the US operated 17 military installations in Greenland and stationed more than 10,000 troops there. Today, the US military presence is largely concentrated at Pituffik Space Base, where around 150 US personnel are stationed.
