U.S., Denmark and Greenland Advance Talks on Up to Three New Military Bases

Overview

• Greenland’s prime minister said Tuesday in Copenhagen that negotiations with the United States and Denmark have moved in the right direction but have not produced a deal, and he stressed that the island is not for sale.
• U.S. proposals focus on up to three sites in southern Greenland to watch the GIUK Gap, the sea corridor between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom that helps track Russian and Chinese naval movements.
• Possible locations include the former U.S. airfields at Narsarsuaq and Kangerlussuaq, and a U.S. Embassy envoy recently inspected Narsarsuaq’s runway and port to assess whether the site can be reactivated.
• Officials are discussing legal options under the 1951 U.S.-Denmark defense pact updated in 2004, and a reported idea to label new facilities as U.S. sovereign territory has not been agreed.
• General Gregory Guillot outlined the three-base concept in March Senate testimony, and Trump’s envoy Jeff Landry is expected in Greenland next week for a business forum as talks continue.