Exclusive-US to open two new military bases in Greenland, sources say

US to Establish Two New Military Bases in Greenland Under Fresh Deal

US-Greenland Military Agreement: Key Details and Background

By Stine Jacobsen, Erin Banco and Gram Slattery

Overview of the New Military Bases

COPENHAGEN/WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The US plans to re-establish a Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and set up another on the east coast, now used by the Danish dog sled patrol, under a deal to be signed with Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Locations and Historical Context

The sites are Narsarsuaq, whose population has dwindled to a few dozen people since the US closed its Bluie West One military base in the 1950s, and Mestersvig, a military outpost used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit, said two of the people.

Details of the Agreement

Denmark, Greenland and the United States are expected to sign their new agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City at 10:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Tuesday.

Secrecy and Finalization

The text of the agreement has not been made public and the three people familiar with the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said its details will not be finalized until it is signed.

Official Responses

The governments of Denmark and Greenland did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the details of the agreement, repeating an earlier statement that its signing on Tuesday would "secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States."

Strategic and Political Implications

NATO and Arctic Security

Denmark says the agreement puts Arctic security under the watch of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the military defense alliance, rather than leaving it solely to the US and Denmark.

US Pressure and Greenland's Response

The deal follows months of pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has long said he wants the US to control Greenland and has at times refused to rule out military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. The idea has been rejected by an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders, polling shows.

Diplomatic Tensions

Trump's threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic crisis within NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland into negotiations with Washington aimed at defusing the pressure.

Historical US Military Presence in Greenland

During the Cold War, the US ​maintained 17 military installations and more than ⁠10,000 personnel in Greenland. Today only Pituffik Space Base remains, with some 150 US military personnel.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen and Gram Slattery and Erin Banco in Washington; Additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, and Phil Stewart and Steve Holland in Washington; Writing by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Don Durfee and Nia Williams)