Greenland is situated at the “top of the world” and has a very strategic geographic location. (SOF News, Jan 14, 2026) Its high latitude provides for early warning (map) of intercontinental ballistic missile launches from adversaries like Russia. Greenland is part of the Greenland-Iceland-United-Kingdom (GIUK) Gap maritime chokepoint (map), important for surface and sub-surface naval activities. Its position in the Arctic Circle (map) gives it access to the Arctic passages (map) of commercial shipping and for military vessels. With the continued climate change the Arctic region is providing more access to natural resources – minerals, natural gas, and oil.
President Trump and other administration officials have asserted that Greenland is vital to U.S. national security. The U.S. needs to have a robust presence on the island to counter Russian and Chinese expansion (SOF News, Nov 6, 2025) in the Arctic and to bolster U.S. missile defense. The island was a Danish colony for over 200 years until it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Denmark in 1953. Over the past several decades the Greenlanders, numbering over 56,000, have become increasingly self-governing.
Pituffik Space Base is currently the only U.S. military base in Greenland. (NPR, March 26, 2025) Pituffik operates today through mutual defense agreements between the U.S. and Denmark. It was previously known as Thule Air Base. Pituffik was built after the U.S. and Denmark signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951.
Past U.S. Presence. The U.S. military footprint in Greenland has fluctuated over time. In April 1940, Denmark was invaded and occupied by the Germans. In May 1940 the U.S. became involved with the affairs of Greenland, establishing a political and military presence. The U.S. Coast Guard had the lead in Greenland [1] until it was passed to the U.S. Navy in May 1941. During World War II there were an estimated 5,000-10,000 personnel on airfields, weather stations, and bases associated with North Atlantic convoy protection. The occupation by U.S. troops ensured that the island didn’t fall into the hands of Germany.
At the end of WW II the presence of U.S. troops was drastically reduced. During the Cold War, this number rose once again – some estimates saying as much as 17,000 on seventeen military bases and installations. The United States and Canada operated the Defense Early Warning (DEW) radars from 1957 to 1985 to provide warning of Soviet missile and bomber attacks. The DEW system transitioned to the North Warning System (NWS). After the fall of the Soviet Union, the number of U.S. military personnel dropped significantly; presently (2026) about 150 personnel are on Pituffik Space Base.
Options: Updated Agreement, Buying, or Taking Greenland
Buying Greenland? Not for sale. There is a long history of the United States wanting to buy Greenland, and there is a long history of Denmark saying no. In 1946, the U.S. made an offer to buy Greenland for $100 million but Denmark rejected the offer. When President Trump, during his first term in 2019, proposed buying Greenland most of the world just shook their heads and dismissed the notion. The current government of Denmark says this is not an option. The people who inhabit Greenland are overwhelmingly not in favor of becoming part of the United States. In March 2025 Greenland had a general election and 75% of them voted for the current government which opposes American designs on the island.
Taking Greenland by Force? Several members of the Trump administration have threatened military action to ‘take Greenland’ if Denmark does not agree to sell the island. The administration has repeatedly said that the U.S. may exercise the ‘military option’. This could carry significant alliance and diplomatic risks. It puts the NATO alliance at risk, will alienate our relationships with security partners around the world, and paints the United States as an aggressor nation. This aggressive posture by the U.S. has modified; with less talk of using military force. During the World Economic Forum (WEF) conference in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump walked back his comments of taking Greenland by military force.
Past, Current, and Future Agreements with Denmark
1918 Lansing Agreement. After decades of negotiations, the United States bought the Danish West Indies from Denmark (US Virgin Islands) in 1917. In return, the US Secretary of State – Robert Lansing, signed a guarantee on August 4, 1916, regarding Greenland. The agreement would later be officially known (Office of the Historian, DoS) as the “Convention between the United States and Denmark for cession of the Danish West Indies”. This stipulated that Denmark would cede the US Virgin Islands to the U.S. in exchange for US $25,000,000 in gold and recognition of Denmark’s status over Greenland. The US Senate approved the treaty and President Woodrow Wilson ratified the treaty. Image below found on bottom of page 10 of the agreement. (govinfo.gov)
1941 Agreement. The United States has a defense agreement with Denmark about the defense and utilization of Greenland. The agreement entitled “Defense of Greenland” (web.archive.org, PDF, 7 pgs) was brought about by the advent of World War II. The Germans invaded and occupied Denmark in April 1940. Denmark and the United States made an agreement that the U.S. could occupy Greenland with troops and build up defenses. During this wartime period the U.S. built about 13 Army bases and four Navy bases with almost 6,000 military personnel.
In the agreement, Article I (image below) states that the “Government of the United States of America reiterates its recognition of and respect for the sovereignty of Denmark over Greenland.”
1951 and 2004 Greenland Defense Agreement. In 1951 the U.S. acquired very robust military rights in Greenland based on the 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement. The Thule Air Base was constructed between 1951 and 1953 by thousands of construction workers. In 2004, both countries entered into a new agreement (state.gov, PDF, 14 pgs) that amended and supplemented the 1951 agreement. The new 2004 Igaliku amendment reflected a transition to post-Cold War framework and narrowed the defense posture of the United States in Greenland.
Image: A radar dome belonging to the 23rd Space Operations Squadron Detachment 1 at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, April 4, 2023. Det. 1 falls under Space Delta 6 – Space Access and Cyberspace Operations. The detachment’s extreme northern location allows contact with polar orbiting satellites 10-12 times per day. (U.S. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Kaitlin Castillo)
2023 U.S.-Denmark Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA). In 2023, the Biden administration signed an agreement that expanded military cooperation beyond the narrow confines of Greenland and the old Cold War era legal basis. This agreement was part of an effort to increase NATO cooperation, regional security, and U.S. access to military infrastructure in the North Atlantic and Arctic. It gave the U.S. forces more rights to operate from Danish-controlled air bases and facilities in Denmark and other areas controlled by Denmark. The access was granted to Aalborg Air Base, Skrydstrup Air Base, and Karup Air Base; all in Denmark. This agreement applies to Denmark proper, not to Greenland.
Denmark Provides More Access. This past June 2025, Denmark’s parliament approved a bill (vote was 94 to 11) to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil. (AP News, June 11, 2025) The current agreement provides the United States with extensive access and freedom of action.
Denmark – A Dependable Ally. Since the early beginnings of the Cold War, Denmark has been a reliable NATO partner and an ally of the United States during Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq), in Syria, and Libya. It has provided special operations and other military units to both OEF, OIF, and other conflicts – demonstrating that it is willing to put its soldiers in harm’s way.
Denmark’s Jaeger Corps and Frogmand Corps, special operations units, were early participants in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In addition, the Danes provided air support, medical support, and more during their almost 20 year involvement in the Afghan War. The last Danish troops were withdrawn in June 2021, just two months before the U.S. pulled out its remaining military forces in August 2021.
The country of Denmark suffered significant casualties in the Afghan War as a result of its deployment to areas of Afghanistan that saw some of the fiercest fighting. In OEF, the Danes suffered the second highest rate of casualties among nations contributing forces to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Resolute Support Mission (RSM). This casualty rate (7.82 deaths per million) was second only to the United States (7.96 deaths per million). Most of Denmark’s combat troops deployed to Helmand province (map) working with the British contingent.
The Danish forces also participated in the early years of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The country deployed about 500 troops to conduct stabilization and security operations – many based in Basra working with the British forces. It began withdrawing forces in 2007. When the Islamic State seized large parts of Iraq in 2014, Denmark rejoined the coalition under Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). The country provided F-16 fighter jets, special operations forces, military trainers, and radar and surveillance capabilities for the fight against ISIS during the 2014-2016 timeframe. After the ISIS fight, Denmark continued to be engaged in Iraq under the NATO Mission in Iraq – providing trainers for capacity building in the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), staff personnel for the NATO headquarters in Baghdad, and military education at the institution level for the ISF. During part of this latest period Denmark provided the top commander of the entire NATO training mission.
Future Agreements? In the past several years we have seen the world witness a Cold War 2.0. National security pundits are now relearning the strategic importance of Greenland in this “second” Cold War. It may be time to update the agreements with Denmark to ensure the United States has continued access to Greenland for national security purposes and to recognize the status of Greenland as a semi-autonomous region of Denmark.
On January 14, 2026, a meeting took place (SOF News, Jan 18, 2026) between the Danish Foreign Minister, Greenland Foreign Minister, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Not much was resolved during this meeting. President Trump, while addressing the Davos, Switzerland conference on January 21, 2026, stated that he wanted immediate negotiations. The U.S. administration, shortly after the conference, stated that negotiations would occur soon.
If requested, the semi-autonomous government of Greenland and government of Denmark would likely agree to increase the U.S. military presence under the current agreements already in place. If existing treaties or agreements need to be updated, then certainly that is achievable. A renegotiated bilateral agreement would allow more U.S. military facilities, expanded permanent bases, and broader operational rights beyond the current agreements in force.
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Related Articles:
“Trump on Greenland: No Military Option, Reaches Deal?”, SOF News, January 21, 2026.
“Greenland, Tariffs, and NATO Response”, SOF News, January 18, 2026.
“Strategic Importance of Greenland”, SOF News, January 14, 2026.
“Competition in the Arctic”, SOF News, November 5, 2025.
“Greenland’s Dog Sled Patrol”, SOF News, January 28, 2026.
Endnotes:
[1] The Long Blue Line: Greenland – Coast Guards Arctic combat zone of World War II, 1940-1941″, United States Coast Guard, March 3, 2023. Read article here.
