Analysts say a little-known 1951 Cold War defense agreement between the United States and Denmark already grants sweeping military access to Greenland, allowing the president to expand U.S. presence “almost at will” without needing to buy or seize the island, according to a New York Times piece.
In the New York Times article, experts highlighted that the agreement permits the U.S. to “construct, install, maintain, and operate” military bases across Greenland, house personnel, and control landings, takeoffs, anchorages, moorings, movements, and operations of ships, aircraft, and waterborne craft.
“The U.S. has such a free hand in Greenland that it can pretty much do what it wants,” said Mikkel Runge Olesen, a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies in Copenhagen.
“I have a very hard time seeing that the U.S. couldn’t get pretty much everything it wanted,” he added, noting that “if it just asked nicely.”
The pact, signed in 1951 and updated in 2004 to include Greenland’s semiautonomous government, stems from World War II cooperation when Denmark was occupied by Nazis. It formalized U.S. rights to establish defense areas for NATO purposes, with the current sole active site being Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule), used for missile tracking and space surveillance.
Peter Ernstved Rasmussen, a Danish defense analyst, described consultation requirements as largely a “courtesy formula.”
“If the U.S. wanted to act without asking, it could simply inform Denmark that it is building a base, an airfield or a port,” he said.
Jens Adser Sorensen, a former senior official in Denmark’s Parliament, questioned the need for escalation: “Why don’t you use the mechanism of the defense agreement if you’re so worried about the security situation? The framework is there. It’s in place.”
The article notes that while the agreement provides broad access, significant changes require consultation with Denmark and Greenland per the 2004 amendment. However, analysts emphasize that reasonable U.S. requests would typically receive approval.
President Trump’s push to acquire Greenland—citing national security, Chinese and Russian threats, and critical minerals—persists despite this framework. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a January 15, 2026, briefing, dismissed recent European troop deployments to Greenland as irrelevant.
“I don’t think troops in Europe impact the president’s decision-making process nor does it impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all,” Leavitt said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has rejected any sale: “Our country is not for sale.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has invoked the existing pact: “We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today, which gives the United States wide access to Greenland.” She urged an end to threats, warning that an attack would undermine the international order.
Greenland residents overwhelmingly oppose a U.S. takeover, with an 85 percent poll rejection last year, and the island holds self-determination rights, including potential independence referendums. Denmark lacks authority to sell without Greenland’s consent.
Eyewitness reports a local resident in Greenland have provided real-time glimpses into the arrivals. Orla Joelsen, a Greenland patriot known for sharing updates online, posted videos showing Danish Hercules aircraft landing in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq late Wednesday evening under near-freezing conditions of -1°C.
The 1951 agreement, rooted in wartime necessity and Cold War strategy, once supported dozens of U.S. bases and thousands of troops. Today, it remains the foundation for U.S. operations, raising questions about why acquisition rhetoric continues when expanded military presence could be pursued diplomatically under the existing pact.
European leaders have reaffirmed: “Greenland belongs to its people,” citing the agreement as sufficient for allied security needs.
