U.S. To Open 2 New Army Bases In Greenland, Sources Say

COPENHAGEN/WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – The US plans to reopen a former Cold War-era navy base in southern Greenland and arrange a navy presence at an east coast base now utilized by the Danish canine sled patrol underneath an settlement to be signed by the US, Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, in accordance with three individuals conversant in the matter.

Those websites are Narsarsuaq, whose inhabitants has dwindled to some dozen individuals because the US closed its Bluie West One navy base within the Fifties, and Mestersvig, a navy outpost presently utilized by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish particular forces unit, stated two of the individuals.

Denmark, Greenland and the United States are anticipated to signal their new settlement on the United Nations General Assembly in New York City at 10:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

The textual content of the settlement has not been made public and the three individuals conversant in the deal, talking on situation of anonymity, stated its particulars will not be finalized till it’s signed.

The governments of Denmark and Greenland didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. The White House additionally didn’t instantly reply.

Denmark says the settlement places Arctic safety underneath the watch of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the navy protection alliance, quite than leaving it solely to the US and Denmark.

The deal follows months of strain from US President Donald Trump, who has lengthy stated he desires the US to manage Greenland and had at instances refused to rule out navy or financial power to amass the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

Trump’s threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic disaster inside NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland into negotiations with Washington aimed toward defusing the strain.

During the Cold War, the US maintained 17 navy installations and greater than 10,000 personnel in Greenland. Today solely Pituffik Space Base stays, with some 150 US navy personnel.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen and Gram Slattery and Erin Banco in Washington; Additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, and Phil Stewart and Steve Holland in Washington; Writing by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Don Durfee and Nia Williams)