Greenland deal could open 2 additional sites to US military

The United States would gain access to two more military locations in Greenland under an agreement expected to be signed Tuesday. American and Danish troops practice rescue procedures during a training exercise at Mestersvig, Greenland, on March 6, 2024. Mestersvig, a Danish military outpost on Greenland's east coast, is one of two sites expected to be made available to the Pentagon this week under a new military agreement between Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. (Andrew Estrada/U.S. Army) The United States would gain access to two more military locations in Greenland under an agreement expected to be signed Tuesday, potentially expanding the Pentagon’s presence on the strategic Arctic island. Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the island’s eastern coast would be opened for U.S.

military use, Reuters reported this week, citing three people familiar with the agreement. The U.S. currently operates out of Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland. The new agreement comes as NATO increases its focus on defending the Arctic amid concerns about Russian military activity in the High North and growing maritime traffic in an area where melting ice is opening new sea routes. The Pituffik Space Base sign as seen at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, on April 6, 2023. Pituffik is currently the only U.S. military installation in Greenland, where American forces conduct missile warning and