Next Stop, Greenland? What Troops Need to Know About the Pentagon’s Arctic Expansion

The Pentagon wants to start growing its military footprint in Greenland next year.

At an Oct. 20 event hosted by the Project on Media and National Security, a senior defense official said the Pentagon is weighing its options this winter, with plans to break ground on new facilities next year.

“Right now we’re in a planning cycle,” the official said.

Pituffik Space Base, the only U.S. base on the island and home to about 150 American troops, is expected to go first. Two new sites, Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, are also part of the plan.

Greenland’s parliament approved the deal behind that plan on Nov. 3, but for troops, the bigger question is who will actually be sent. No units have been picked yet. Planners are still studying whether Narsarsuaq’s runway could handle C-130 cargo planes or, with upgrades, fighter jets. And so far, the current budget request has no money for the new sites.

What the Greenland Deal Lets the U.S. Build, and What It Owes in Return

The plan comes from a defense agreement signed Sept. 22 by the U.S., Denmark and Greenland. It updates the 1951 Defense of Greenland agreement, the Cold War pact that first let the U.S. build bases on the island.

The new deal lets the U.S. expand Pituffik and open bases at Narsarsuaq, a small village in southern Greenland, and Mestersvig, a remote east coast outpost where three Danish soldiers keep the station running. U.S. troops, aircraft and ships can move freely between them by land, air and sea. In return, the U.S. must hire Greenland companies for construction and services “to the maximum extent possible.”

At Pituffik, radar, power and hangar upgrades are planned, and Congress approved $32 million in fiscal 2026 for a runway approach and landing system.

Planning has started at the new sites. The official said Mestersvig’s 6,000-foot runway would probably serve mainly special operations troops. In September, a Navy Seabee team measured Narsarsuaq’s runway, and U.S. Northern Command said the survey gathered data for possible use by the U.S., Denmark, or NATO allies.

No Money Yet for Narsarsuaq or Mestersvig

The deal names the new sites, but the U.S., Denmark and Greenland still have to agree on where each base’s borders sit and what rules apply there. Greenland’s government says any new base must account for local communities and the environment.

Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said:

“A new round of negotiations with Greenland and Denmark will have to decide specific delimitations and conditions.”

He added, “Also, no funds seem to be dedicated to implementing any of this.”

Gad bases his view on public reporting and talks with U.S. colleagues. The budget backs him up, as the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 request has no Greenland construction project.

Greenland’s lawmakers passed the deal 16-0, with seven abstentions, and Denmark’s parliament votes Nov. 19.

Space Base Delta 1, the Space Force unit that supports Pituffik, said that “as a matter of policy” it does not comment on future staffing or construction timelines.

What a Pituffik Tour Looks Like Today

For now, Pituffik is the only place in Greenland where U.S. troops are assigned, and the tour rules are set.

“The standard tour at Pituffik Space Base is an unaccompanied 12-month short tour, with the option for service members to request an extension,” a Space Base Delta 1 spokesperson said.

Members there receive Hardship Duty Pay-Location, Cold Weather Assignment Incentive Pay and Cost of Living Allowance, according to Space Base Delta 1. Those with dependents also get Family Separation Allowance and keep Basic Allowance for Housing based on where their family lives.

Gad, the Danish Institute researcher, expects Pituffik to change first.

“Most imminent are probably renovations and some expansion of facilities at the rather dilapidated Space Base at Pituffik,” he said.

But he doesn’t expect a big jump in troops, saying “expansion of permanent US presence will probably be marginal.”

Bluie West One Gets a Second Look

Narsarsuaq isn’t new to the U.S. military. The Army opened an airfield there in 1941, called Bluie West One, and the Air Force ran it until 1958.

In April, the airfield closed to airplanes and became a heliport after Greenland moved flights to a new airport in Qaqortoq, the region’s largest town. Denmark then set aside up to 45 million Danish kroner to keep it open for a year while officials decide whether Danish, U.S. or NATO forces need it.

What to Watch Before Greenland Shows Up on Your Orders

Nothing changes for your next assignment yet. Watch Denmark’s Nov. 19 vote and the Pentagon’s next budget request. Money for Narsarsuaq or Mestersvig would be a clear sign that new assignments are coming.

If a Greenland tour interests you, ask your career counselor about remote short tours like Pituffik. Families should ask their finance office how separation and housing pay work during the tour.

Until new money and units are announced, Pituffik remains the only U.S. base in Greenland.