United States to Reactivate Former Base and Open New Facility in Greenland

The United States plans to reactivate the former Bluie West One base at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and to establish a new facility at Mestersvig on the island’s east coast, where the Danish Sirius Dog Sled Patrol currently operates. The three parties – the United States, Denmark and Greenland – are set to sign the agreement during a United Nations General Assembly session in New York on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

The text of the deal has not been released, and officials familiar with the negotiations said its specifics will be finalized only after signing. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the agreement’s details, reiterating an earlier statement that the signing would "secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States."

Denmark indicated that the arrangement places Arctic security under NATO oversight rather than leaving it solely to the United States and Denmark. The move follows months of diplomatic pressure from the United States, including statements by President Donald Trump expressing interest in greater U.S. control over Greenland, which had previously sparked a diplomatic dispute within NATO.

During the Cold War, the United States operated 17 installations in Greenland with more than 10,000 personnel; today only the Pituffik Space Base remains, staffed by about 150 U.S. service members.