US already holds broad military access to Greenland under 1951 pact

Thursday 08 January 2026 - 09:20

By: Dakir Madiha

US already holds broad military access to Greenland under 1951 pact

Defense analysts disclosed Tuesday that a 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark grants America extensive military authority over Greenland, casting doubt on President Trump's push to acquire the territory outright.

"The US has such free rein in Greenland that they can pretty much do whatever they want," Mikkel Runge Olesen, a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies in Copenhagen, told the New York Times. He added he struggled "to imagine the US not getting pretty much whatever it wants, if it asks nicely."

The 1951 defense pact allows US forces to build, maintain, and operate military bases; station personnel; and control air and sea movements across the entire island. A 2004 revision formally involved Greenland's government, requiring US consultation before "significant changes" to military operations.

The US currently runs Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, supporting missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance for America and NATO. About 150 Air Force and Space Force personnel are stationed there.

Danish defense analyst Peter Ernstved Rasmussen noted that in practice, "the US would always get a yes" if seeking expansion through normal channels. "If the US wanted to act without asking, they could just inform Denmark," he told Newsmax.

Diplomatic tensions escalate. Trump has stressed the US "needs Greenland for national security reasons," with White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stating Tuesday that "all options" remain on the table, including military force. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed plans to meet Danish officials next week after Copenhagen requested urgent talks.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned any US military action against Greenland would end NATO. "If the US chooses to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything stops—that is, including NATO," she told Danish broadcaster TV2.

Leaders from Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK issued a joint statement Tuesday affirming "Greenland belongs to its people" and decisions on the territory fall "to Denmark and Greenland, and them alone." Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has repeatedly stated the territory "is not for sale."