The United States is in advanced talks with Denmark and Greenland about expanding its military presence in Greenland through the creation of three new bases in the southern part of the island, according to reporting from the BBC. The discussions have reportedly been underway for months and involve senior officials from all three governments as Washington looks for ways to increase monitoring in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.
The proposed bases would mainly support maritime surveillance operations focused on the GIUK Gap, the stretch of water running between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. Military planners consider the area important because naval traffic moving between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic often passes through it. American officials have grown increasingly focused on Russian submarine movement and Chinese activity in northern waters.
The current U.S. installation in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, is primarily used for missile warning and space operations connected to NORAD. Officials familiar with the talks told the BBC that the base is not equipped for the type of large-scale maritime monitoring the Pentagon now wants in the region.
At least one of the proposed sites would likely be built in Narsarsuaq at the location of the former Bluie West One airfield. Other possible sites would use existing Greenlandic ports or airfields that could be upgraded instead of constructing entirely new facilities. People involved in the negotiations reportedly see that approach as less expensive and easier to complete within a shorter timeline.
One of the more debated parts of the negotiations is an American proposal that would classify the new bases as U.S. sovereign territory. That would go further than the current arrangement created under the 1951 U.S.-Denmark Defence Agreement, which allows American military activity in Greenland with approval from Denmark. Danish governments have historically accepted U.S. requests to expand operations there, though a sovereignty agreement would likely face closer political debate in both Copenhagen and Nuuk.
The negotiations are being led on the American side by senior State Department official Michael Needham. Since mid-January, U.S. officials have reportedly met at least five times with Denmark’s ambassador to Washington, Jesper Møller Sørensen, and Greenland’s senior representative Jacob Isbosethsen.
Both governments have publicly acknowledged the diplomatic discussions without giving many details. The White House said it was “very optimistic” about the direction of the talks, while Denmark’s foreign ministry described them only as “an ongoing diplomatic track with the United States.”
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen commented on the discussions Tuesday during the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, saying negotiations had “taken some steps in the right direction.” He also rejected suggestions that Greenland could come under direct American control. “We are not to be taken,” Nielsen said. “We are not for sale.”
USA = Green
Greenland = Blue
Denmark = Orange
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