The agreement adds sites at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the east coast and expands the existing Pituffik Space Base, while preserving Danish sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination. It bars non-NATO military bases, gives Washington a say over sensitive foreign investment and requires Greenland to remain within NATO even if it becomes independent. The island’s lawmakers say independence remains on the agenda.
US construction, maintenance and service contracts must go to Greenlandic suppliers “to the maximum extent possible.” Building the bases faces practical constraints: Mestersvig is 240 km from the nearest settlement, has only a gravel runway and can receive supplies by sea for just a few weeks each summer. Arctic security expert Troy Bouffard told Sputnik that the short construction season is an obstacle and that nearly all materials, fuel, equipment and labor for both sites must come from outside.