DR has set out the three central provisions of the 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States, as a new security text between Denmark, Greenland and the United States is being negotiated.
The 75 year old agreement, signed in June 1951, has been referred to repeatedly in recent days. DR published a breakdown of its key points on September 22, 2026, as a draft text between the three countries circulated.
Article I commits the two countries to joining their efforts on collective defense and on resisting armed attack. According to DR, this means Denmark and the United States share responsibility for security and defense in Greenland. The same article states that both the Danish and American flags shall fly over the defense areas.
Article II, point 3b, gives the United States the right to build facilities, station and house personnel and control the movement of ships and aircraft. That right applies only if it does not restrict the Kingdom of Denmark’s sovereignty over the defense area. It also may not limit Danish authorities’ right to move throughout Greenland.
Point 3c of the same article records that the Danish government reserves the right to use a defense area together with the United States government. That use is tied to the defense of Greenland, as noted in DR’s review of the text.
Tied to the NATO treaty
The final provision, Article XIV, point 2, states that the agreement remains in force for the same period as the North Atlantic Treaty. That treaty was signed on April 4, 1949, and formed the basis of the NATO alliance. In practice, the 1951 agreement applies as long as NATO exists.
Several supplementary agreements have been added since 1951. One established an annual forum where the three countries brief each other on military activities in Greenland. With the Igaliku Agreement of August 2004, signed in the South Greenlandic settlement of Igaliku, Greenland became a formal co-signatory and partner.
Under that agreement, the United States also confirmed it would consult and inform the Danish and Greenlandic governments about defense activities. Greenland’s status as a signatory followed decades of shifting arrangements over the island’s autonomy.
The United States currently operates one base in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base. The Danish Armed Forces estimated in September 2025 that about 150 American soldiers were stationed there, alongside civilian employees.
Per the same Danish Armed Forces account, the United States has over time maintained more than 30 facilities and bases in Greenland and stationed more than 10,000 personnel. The installations have gradually been closed or handed over to Denmark or Greenland.
Reuters reported that the new agreement was due to be signed by Denmark, Greenland and the United States at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2026. According to Reuters, the text of that agreement had not been published in advance.
