President Trump confirms agreement for Greenland security

Greenlandic port facilities, like those shown here in Nuuk, are inadequate for military operations. Denmark has plans to upgrade maritime facilities for naval operations. (Janes/Michael Fabey)

Denmark, Greenland, and the US reached an agreement on greater American responsibility for Greenland security, US President Donald Trump confirmed on 19 September in a social media post.

The agreement essentially guarantees US security access and responsibility, already secured in a 1951 treaty with Denmark, but includes Greenland's consultation and input and ensures that access in perpetuity, US officials familiar with the agreement told Janes on 19 September.

Trump administration officials had expressed concerns about the 1951 agreement to Janes in June 2025. Specifically, they noted that Greenland was moving towards independence, and they said they were worried that, because the agreement was with Denmark without Greenlandic consultation and input, then Greenland could opt to ignore it if the Arctic island became its own country.

Trump administration officials also told Janes they were concerned Greenland could be lured by Chinese investment, giving China a foothold in a country located at a strategic chokepoint for US security in the North Atlantic and Arctic. They also told Janes they believed neither Denmark nor NATO was sufficiently resourcing Greenland defence to ensure US security at that chokepoint.

Danish Major General Søren Andersen, commander of the Joint Arctic Command (JAC), on 11 November 2025 told Janes that Denmark plans to buy and deploy into the region additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, long-range persistent weapons, upgraded air-defence systems, five new Arctic-capable frigates, and “critical” infrastructure improvements for port facilities and land operations.