New Delhi: With the Trump administration reiterating interest in acquiring Greenland, the Pentagon is stepping up efforts to secure greater access to the Arctic island under the 1951 defense pact with Denmark.
According to The New York Times, the US government is negotiating with the Denmark government to secure access to three additional bases in Greenland, including the two bases abandoned by Americans more than three decades ago. This would mark the first US expansion in the region since then.
The talks over the expansion of the bases are going smoothly, as per the NYT report.
Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, the head of the U.S. Northern Command, told the U.S. lawmakers in a congressional hearing in mid-March, “The US military wanted increased access to different bases across Greenland as we look at the increasing threat and the strategic importance of Greenland.”
“I’m working with our department and others to try to develop more ports, more airfields, which leads to more options for our secretary and for the president, should we need them up in the Arctic,” Gen. Guillot added.
Citing the Danish-American Defense Pact of 1951, Gen Guillot told the congressional hearings, “They’ve (Denmark) been very, very supportive partners.”
“We don’t really need a new treaty. It’s (1951 pact) very comprehensive, and it’s frankly very favorable to our operations or potential operations in Greenland,” the general added.
Any such move, however, would put Copenhagen in a tough spot, as Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory that has been a part of the Danish Kingdom for more than 300 years.
Also Read: Why does Trump want Greenland? Can he seize it, & is it normal to ‘buy’ another country?
The joint defense pact
To counter President Trump’s threat of forcible takeover, the Danish government has repeatedly cited the 1951 pact, which states that Washington already has sweeping military access.
However, according to the NYT, to expand American access in Greenland, US officials are using the same agreement.
“There is little Denmark can do to block them, even if the trust between the United States and Denmark has been shaken, if not broken,” the NYT report quotes an expert as saying.
As earlier reported by ThePrint, the Danish government was planning to blow up its airfields if the US forces decided to invade the island.
According to NYT, Lt. Comdr. Teresa C. Meadows, a spokeswoman for the American Northern Command, said, “Military planners were eyeing the towns of Narsarsuaq, in southern Greenland, which offers a deepwater port, and Kangerlussuaq in southwestern Greenland, which already has a long runway capable of handling large aircraft.”
Narsarsuaq and Kangerlussuaq hosted American bases during World War II, but they were returned to the Danish authorities in the 1950s and 1970s respectively. After the US departure, the military infrastructure was dismantled and replaced with a “small functioning airport”.
Even though Pentagon officials have not specified how many troops would be sent to Greenland, Gen. Guillot underscored that the bases in the Arctic are needed for special operations soldiers and “maritime capabilities”.
During World War II, Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, and Washington played an instrumental role in defending Greenland. Washington sent thousands of troops and operated more than a dozen bases. However, now the US operates a single base which accommodates a remote missile defense installation with around a hundred personnel.
Trump’s threats
The US president has repeatedly expressed his desire to take over the semi-autonomous island, saying it would secure US national security interests, while countering the growing influence of Russia and China in the Arctic.
Trump’s fixation has dialed down as Washington is engaged in a military conflict with Iran, but European leaders, including Denmark’s leader, Mette Frederiksen, fear that Trump’s reiteration of taking over Greenland might leave Copenhagen in a corner.
When the NYT asked about the military expansion plans in Greenland, the US State Department, Denmark’s foreign ministry, and the office of Greenland’s prime minister declined to comment.
Earlier this year, a protest erupted in Greenland against Trump’s suggested invasion. The Greenlanders are also voicing their concerns about the increase in American troops on the island.
Anso Lauritzen, who runs a dog shelter in western Greenland, told the NYT, “Many people don’t want more military in Greenland — but if that’s what they decide, there’s nothing we can do.”
Another protester, Agnetha Mikka Petersen, a retired resident of Nuuk, said, “The prospect of an expanded American presence makes her feel uneasy. I’m not happy about it.”
According to the NYT, the updates on the 1951 defense pact in 2004 have given a strong position to Washington.
Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told NYT, “Denmark and Greenland can, in principle, say no to the United States — but in practice, you never do that.”
“Because if you do, the United States can frame Denmark and Greenland’s control of the island as a security risk — and argue that it should take control itself,” Pram Gad added.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: Why India needs to be a part of strategic conversations on Greenland