U.S. Secures 'Permanent Control' of Greenland Security in New Arctic Deal
The U.S. will retain permanent access, basing, and overflight rights in Greenland
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2026 - The United States signed a major international agreement on Tuesday that grants Washington "permanent control" over Greenland's security, blocks adversaries from military bases and sensitive investments, and covers critical infrastructure, including undersea cables, ports, telecommunications and rare-earth minerals.
The United States, Denmark, and Greenland signed a trilateral security agreement on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, formalizing expanded U.S military access to the Arctic island. The White House released the text of the deal shortly after the signing ceremony.
Under the deal, the U.S. will retain permanent access, basing, and overflight rights in Greenland, with authority to expand beyond the existing Pituffik Space Base to include two new defense sites: Narsarsuaq, a former Cold War airbase in southern Greenland, and Mestersvig, currently operated by Denmark's Sirius Dog Sled Patrol. The two bases are roughly 950 miles apart.
Only the U.S and its NATO allies will be permitted to make "sensitive investments" in critical sectors including rare-earth minerals, telecommunications, undersea cables and ports. Non-NATO countries, including China and Russia, are prohibited from establishing military bases, maintaining troop presence or making sensitive investments on the island without written approval from all three parties - a restriction that will remain in effect even if Greenland eventually becomes independent.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands applauded the agreement, calling it "a really big deal" given vulnerabilities in North Atlantic subsea fiber networks. In a Sept. 19 interview with NTD, Sands warned that Russian and Chinese vessels - often disguised as scientific or fishing ships - have targeted Greenlandic undersea cables, creating both "mischief” and "malign goals" that the new security framework aims to counter.
The agreement has no expiration date and will remain in effect indefinitely, even if Greenland eventually becomes independent from Denmark. Danish and Greenlandic leaders said the deal strengthens NATO's role in Arctic security while respecting Greenland's right to self-determination.
"This agreement, made with the Kingdom of Denmark, an incredible, beautiful country, and the Greenland people itself, gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory," President Trump said. "We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe and other places. No U.S. adversary will ever be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland anymore, or make sensitive investments there without our express written approval.”
Nielsen said the "world has changed a great deal since 1951," referring to the previous security pact the new deal amends, and that Greenlanders "recognize the long-term security threats" Trump has highlighted. He added the agreement "should put to rest any doubt today and in the future about where Greenland's loyalty lies.”
The agreement marks a major shift in Arctic security and investment rules, locking in a U.S-led framework for Greenland's defense and critical infrastructure even as questions remain about mining rights, sovereignty and how the pact will be implemented on the ground.
