Greenland military access will be expanded under a new security agreement between the United States, Denmark and Greenland that gives Washington permanent access, basing and overflight rights while restricting military bases and sensitive investments by countries outside NATO.
US President Donald Trump announced the agreement on Friday after months of tension over Greenland’s strategic position and its future. The deal does not transfer sovereignty over the Arctic territory to the United States. Denmark and Greenland have instead stressed that Greenland remains within the Kingdom of Denmark and that the Greenlandic people retain their right to self-determination.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the arrangement serves Greenland’s interests and strengthens security for Greenland, Denmark, the United States and their allies.
The agreement is expected to be signed during the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. It will still have to go through parliamentary procedures in Denmark and Greenland before it can take effect.
Trump described the arrangement in broader terms. In a post on Truth Social, he said the United States would have permanent control over security and related needs in Greenland and that Washington would expand its military presence on the island. He also said countries regarded as US adversaries would need American approval to establish military bases, station personnel or make sensitive investments there.
A US State Department official told Reuters that the agreement prevents non-NATO states from establishing military bases in Greenland. According to the official, the United States will receive permanent access, basing and overflight rights, and the arrangement would remain in place even if Greenland were to become independent.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement permanently addresses American national security concerns connected to Greenland. The administration has increasingly treated the island as part of a wider North American defence area, reflecting Greenland’s location between North America, the Arctic and the approaches to Russia.
The United States already has extensive military rights in Greenland. A 1951 defence agreement between Washington and Copenhagen provides the legal basis for the American military presence, including at Pituffik Space Base in north-west Greenland. More than 100 US personnel are stationed there, supporting missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance.
What remains unclear is how much larger the American military presence will become. Trump has spoken of expanding the US presence, but the governments have not released details on additional troops, possible construction projects or specific new facilities.
The strategic importance of Greenland has grown as competition in the Arctic has intensified. Its geographic position gives it significance for monitoring activity across the North Atlantic and Arctic regions, while its location has also made it relevant to US missile defence planning.
Greenland’s mineral resources are another part of the wider strategic picture. The island has deposits of rare earth elements and other minerals used in technologies, energy systems and industry. Washington has repeatedly raised concerns about Russian and Chinese activity and investment in the Arctic, while European governments have also been seeking closer economic and security ties with Greenland.
The agreement comes after an unusually difficult period in relations between Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk. Trump repeatedly argued during his second presidential term that the United States should acquire Greenland and refused to rule out the use of military force when discussing the possibility. Those comments triggered strong reactions in Denmark and Greenland and placed the future of the territory at the centre of a wider dispute over Arctic security.
The new arrangement marks a different approach. Rather than transferring ownership of Greenland, it establishes a long-term US security role while leaving sovereignty with the Kingdom of Denmark. Reuters reported that the agreement would also continue to apply if Greenland eventually became independent, potentially giving the United States a lasting military position regardless of changes to the island’s constitutional status.
For Greenland, the agreement also arrives as its relationship with Europe is expanding. Earlier this month, Greenland, Denmark and the European Union announced a strengthened partnership covering areas including connectivity, clean energy, critical raw materials, civil preparedness and investment. The European Commission said the partnership included a 200 million euro package for Greenland covering this year and next year.
That European engagement is significant because Greenland is increasingly being treated not simply as a remote Arctic territory, but as a strategic part of the wider North Atlantic and European security environment. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have also emphasised the importance of greater cooperation with European allies while maintaining security cooperation with the United States.
For Washington, the agreement secures a long-term military foothold in one of the Arctic’s most strategically important locations. For Denmark and Greenland, it provides a framework for deeper US security involvement without changing the territory’s sovereignty.
The practical details will determine how significant the agreement becomes. Until the pact is formally signed, approved through the required parliamentary procedures and translated into specific military arrangements, the size and shape of any expanded US presence remain uncertain. What is clear is that Greenland has become a central part of the security calculations of the United States, Denmark and their allies as competition over the Arctic continues to grow.
