US, Denmark and Greenland signed a new security agreement

Why in News?

The United States, Denmark and Greenland signed a new security agreement on 22 September 2026 that amends and supplements the 1951 U.S.–Denmark Defense Agreement on Greenland. The agreement expands U.S. military access in Greenland and strengthens NATO engagement in the Arctic. It permits the U.S. to modernise and expand the Pituffik Space Base and establish additional defence areas at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig in eastern Greenland.

The agreement also restricts non-NATO states from establishing military installations or maintaining a persistent military presence in Greenland. It provides for investment screening in particularly sensitive sectors, including critical infrastructure and resource extraction, where national-security or public-order concerns arise.

About Greenland

Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) is the world’s largest island and is geographically located between the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with its own self-government responsible for most domestic affairs. The indigenous population is predominantly Inuit.

About 80% of Greenland’s surface is covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet, making it a major component of the Arctic cryosphere. Its geographical position gives it strategic importance for Arctic security, North Atlantic defence, space-based surveillance and emerging Arctic routes.

Key Features of the Agreement

The agreement:

• strengthens NATO engagement in the Arctic, including planning, military presence, exercises and intelligence cooperation;
• allows the U.S. to modernise and expand Pituffik Space Base;
• permits additional U.S. defence areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig;
• prohibits non-NATO states from establishing their own military installations or maintaining a persistent military presence in Greenland;
• provides for screening of foreign investment in particularly sensitive sectors and activities;
• recognises the right of the people of Greenland to self-determination;
• has no specified end date and can be amended only by mutual consent;
• provides that if Greenland becomes independent, the agreement envisages that the future Greenlandic state would remain within NATO and assume the relevant rights and obligations under the agreement.

The agreement also explicitly refers to U.S. access needed for defence of the North Atlantic Treaty area, Greenland and the American continent, including through a potential Golden Dome defence system.

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