US Seeks Additional Bases in Greenland Through Denmark Talks

The United States is negotiating with Denmark to expand its military footprint in Greenland, seeking access to three additional bases on the Arctic island to bolster defenses amid rising geopolitical tensions. The talks, underway since at least mid-March, aim to reopen two former American outposts and establish a new site, according to U.S. military officials.

The proposed expansion would increase the number of U.S. bases from the current single facility, Pituffik Space Base on Greenland's northwest coast, to four. Pituffik, operational since the 1950s, supports early warning systems, missile defense and space surveillance with a staff of several hundred troops. The U.S. Northern Command is pushing for permanent access to Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland, which features a deepwater port suitable for naval operations, and Kangerlussuaq in the southwest, home to a runway capable of accommodating large military aircraft. A third location remains undisclosed.

Negotiations are proceeding under a 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States, which grants Washington broad authority to construct and operate military sites in the Danish territory without requiring a new...