Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Day 611
1 documented win
Greenland defense agreement signed
The win
In New York on September 22, the United States, the Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland signed an amendment to the 1951 Defense of Greenland agreement. The United States may modernize and expand Pituffik Space Base, add defense areas at Narsarsuaq in the south and Mestersvig in the east, and open further areas by agreement, with the overflight, landing, and undersea access written in the text. A non-NATO military installation or a persistent non-NATO military presence needs the parties’ approval, and sensitive investment from outside NATO, partners, and the EU is screened.
For Americans
This is a defense pact, not a deed. The text reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlandic self-determination. It has no end date, changes only by mutual consent, and takes effect after Danish and Greenlandic parliamentary procedures.
For people abroad
Greenlanders and Danes keep the flag. What changes is who can put a base, or a sensitive investment, on the Arctic approaches — the parties to this pact, not an outside military.