• 1951 pact permits US to establish new bases whenever NATO deems necessary
• Denmark publicly offers to expand American military presence through negotiation
• Experts say agreement provides ‘almost any security goal’ without ownership

COPENHAGEN (TDR) — The United States already possesses broad authority to expand its military presence across Greenland under a 73-year-old defense agreement, raising questions about why President Donald Trump insists territorial ownership is necessary for national security.

The 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement between Washington and Copenhagen grants American forces sweeping rights to establish new bases and defense installations whenever the North Atlantic Treaty Organization determines such facilities are necessary. Danish officials have publicly stated the existing framework offers “ample opportunity” for significant military expansion without changing sovereignty.

“This agreement is very generous, it’s very open. The U.S. would be able to achieve almost any security goal that you can imagine under that agreement.”

Cold War Framework Remains in Effect

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Foreign policy experts note the Trump administration could accomplish its stated Arctic security objectives through existing treaty provisions rather than pursuing controversial territorial acquisition. The agreement, forged during the early Cold War, allowed Washington to operate up to 50 military installations across the Arctic island at the height of Soviet tensions.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen emphasized this point in a video message following Vice President JD Vance‘s visit to Greenland last year. American military presence has decreased from thousands of personnel across 17 bases in 1945 to approximately 200 troops at the single Pituffik Space Base today.

Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told Fortune there exists “very little understanding as to why the U.S.” needs ownership when the existing agreement provides such extensive military access. The 1951 pact explicitly permits American forces to “construct, install, maintain, and operate facilities and equipment” for defense purposes.

Denmark Offers Expanded Military Cooperation

Rather than resisting Trump’s Greenland demands, Danish leadership has repeatedly offered to negotiate expanded American military presence through diplomatic channels. Rasmussen stated plainly that if Washington desires a “much stronger military presence in Greenland” under the existing framework, Copenhagen stands ready to discuss it.

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Peter Viggo Jakobsen from the Danish Defense Academy explained the practical reality facing Trump’s national security team. “They already have military bases out there, and they have a base agreement allowing them to build any additional base or any additional installation that they would want,” Jakobsen said.

Denmark’s parliament approved legislation last year permitting additional U.S. military bases on Danish soil, widening a 2023 Biden administration agreement that granted American troops broad access to Danish air bases. The Nordic nation has also committed $2.3 billion to strengthen Arctic surveillance and sovereignty enforcement through new naval vessels, long-range drones, and satellite capabilities.

Historical Precedent for Cooperation

The United States established its Greenland military presence during World War II when Danish Ambassador Henrik Kauffmann authorized American defense of the Arctic territory after Nazi occupation of Denmark in 1940.

A 1950s State Department assessment concluded Washington was “permitted to do almost anything, literally, that we want to” under the defense agreement. The 2004 Igaliku Agreement modified the pact to require consultation with Greenlandic authorities before implementing major infrastructure changes.

Strategic Value Without Ownership

Trump administration officials have justified Greenland acquisition as essential for deploying the proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system and countering Russian and Chinese Arctic expansion. Yet experts note the existing agreement already addresses these concerns.

Pituffik Space Base currently supports missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance operations for both American and NATO forces, sitting on the shortest missile trajectory between Russia and the United States.

Garret Martin, codirector of the Transatlantic Policy Center at American University, suggests Trump’s insistence on ownership over negotiated expansion may stem from his “gunboat diplomacy” approach rather than genuine military necessity.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to meet with Danish and Greenlandic officials next week. Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt emphasized her government expects to “take the lead” in negotiations, invoking the principle “nothing about Greenland without Greenland.”

If diplomatic agreements already provide the military access Trump claims to need, does territorial conquest serve national security or merely presidential ambition?

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