The proposed pact would leave Greenland under Danish sovereignty while expanding U.S. defense access and restricting adversarial activity.
President Trump announced a proposed security agreement that would expand the American military presence in Greenland while leaving the Arctic territory under Danish sovereignty.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the arrangement would preserve Greenland’s territorial integrity and its people’s right to self-determination.
An unnamed State Department official told the Associated Press that the agreement would prohibit non-NATO countries from establishing military bases in Greenland and restrict strategic investments by countries viewed as security threats. The United States already operates Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland under a longstanding defense agreement with Denmark.
The full text has not been released or signed. Officials expect the agreement to be signed during the United Nations General Assembly, after which approval may be required from lawmakers in Denmark and Greenland. The proposed force size, cost and implementation timetable remain undisclosed.
The announcement follows continued debate over Arctic security and comes as Congress advances additional pressure on Russia. Read THRIVE!’s report on the House-passed Russia sanctions bill.
