Trump: US to Build 2 Major Military Bases in Greenland

The United States will build two major military bases in Greenland, President Donald Trump said on Sept. 22.

Trump made this announcement during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.

“No U.S. adversary will ever be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland anymore, or make sensitive investments there without our express written approval,” he said. “We will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations. We will be building two very major military bases.”

Trump said that the agreement will be signed later Tuesday.

The deal also protects Europe and enhances NATO, Trump said.

One base will be in southern Greenland, and ​another will be on the east coast.

One site will be Narsarsuaq, where the United States had its Bluie ​West One military base that it closed in the 1950s and whose population has been reduced to a few dozen people. The other is Mestersvig, a military outpost utilized by ​the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit.

Trump’s announcement comes days after he said that the United States has reached a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland to have permanent control over Greenland’s security.

The deal would give the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, a move he said addressed the United States’ concerns.

“At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America,” the president wrote.

“Additionally, from now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News on Friday that the agreement blocks Russia and China from having a military presence in Greenland.

Once signed, the agreement will go through the required parliamentary steps to become official.

Previously, Trump said the United States needed to purchase or annex Greenland for national security purposes so that Russia and China do not pursue their interests in the area.

Reuters contributed to this report.