U.S. signs Greenland security pact; Murkowski says she is encouraged

The United States will expand its military footprint in Greenland and gain a veto over any adversary's presence there, under an agreement signed Tuesday in New York during the United Nations General Assembly. President Donald Trump signed the deal alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

The agreement amends the 1951 accord that has governed the U.S. military presence in Greenland for 75 years. It adds two new defense areas, at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, and authorizes expansion at Pituffik Space Base. It bars any U.S. adversary from establishing a base, a military presence or sensitive investment in Greenland without American approval. And it makes permanent the access, basing and overflight rights the U.S. has held under the earlier agreement.

Frederiksen described the agreement as strengthening common security between the three governments. Nielsen called it historic.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski welcomed the outcome in a statement released by the White House. "I'm encouraged that our nations have reached a breakthrough that respects Greenlandic self-determination and the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark while strengthening our shared security in the Arctic," she said. She said she hoped the agreement would build on the 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement, adapting that cooperation to today's security challenges.

The agreement requires the United States to prioritize Greenlandic sources for contracts tied to the new defense areas, and reaffirms Danish sovereignty and Greenland's right to self-determination.

The agreement covers Greenland only; Alaska is not part of it. Murkowski has pressed Arctic security in the Senate separately — in June she and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen introduced a resolution naming China and Russia as sources of strategic competition in the region, after a bipartisan delegation visited Canada, Greenland, Norway and Iceland.

This account draws on the White House release, which compiles statements from the signatories, allied lawmakers, commentators, former officials and business executives. It includes no critical voice, and no nonofficial Greenlandic or Inuit perspective on expanded military access.