Trump's Greenland Gamble Is Paying Off: America Moves to Secure the Top of the World Without Firing a Shot
Critics called his Greenland push reckless. The Sept. 22 defense deal would give the U.S. new bases, room for Golden Dome and a lock against China and Russia on the island. In our view, that is a strategic win.
By Clara Hughes
Label: Altas World News Opinion Estimated read time: 7 minutes Key takeaways On Sept. 22, the U.S., Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement that would expand America's military presence on the island, with no end date [1][2][3]. The deal would allow two new U.S. defense areas and expansion at Pituffik Space Base, open the door to Golden Dome missile defense and bar non-NATO countries from building military installations without the parties' agreement [2]. In our view, President Trump's pressure turned a decades-old arrangement into a modern Arctic shield. It still needs approval from the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments [1][3]. What was signed On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed a new security agreement on Sept. 22 [3][5]. The deal amends and supplements the 1951 U.S.-Denmark agreement on the defense of Greenland [1][2]. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the deal would let the United States: "modernize and expand" operations at Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base; establish two new defense areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, in southern and eastern Greenland; and have free overflight, land and undersea access across Greenland and its territorial waters [2]. The agreement would also allow the United States to deploy the proposed Golden Dome missile defense system in Greenland. It would bar non-NATO states from establishing military installations on the island, and it would restrict investment in sensitive sectors to NATO members, NATO partners and European Union members [2]. The deal has no expiration date and would remain in force even if Greenland becomes independent [3]. Trump said on social media that the deal gives the United States "permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland" [2]. Greenland keeps its right to self-determination and full ownership of its natural reso…