Trump claimed US ‘gave Greenland’ back to Denmark. It never had ownership — but has sweeping military rights

But why did Denmark sign this agreement, and what rights does it confer the US? To examine that, one must first go back to World War II.

World War II and Nazi invasion

According to US Department of State records, available on its National Archives, the German Army invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940. Within days, the Danish government agreed to German occupation.  

On August 29, 1943, the German Army disarmed the Danish Army, imprisoned King Christian X, and took control over the country’s administrative functions. 

At that time, Greenland was a colony of Denmark, and had long been eyed by the US for its strategic location.

Ulrik Pram Gad, Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, wrote in an article on the think-tank’s website last year: “During the Second World War, the Danish ambassador to Washington signed a treaty allowing the US to protect Greenland – in exchange for a re-confirmation of Danish sovereignty.”

This treaty, signed in 1941, gave the US the rights to military bases in Greenland in exchange for protection of the island. Denmark was not recaptured by the Allies until May 1945.

In 1946,  US President Harry Truman offered to buy Greenland for $100 million in gold. This offer — then the latest in a series of attempts by America to acquire the territory — itself shows that the US considered Denmark the rightful sovereign. Needless to say, Denmark refused what was then a very substantial sum.

After the war

By 1951, the war was over and a new age was beginning — the Cold War era, with the Soviet Union emerging as America’s main threat. And, with this, the US again turned its gaze towards Greenland as essential to security. 

That year, the World War-era treaty signed by the Danish envoy was formalised in the form of the Defense of Greenland agreement. It paved the way for America’s Thule Air Base, now known as the Pituffik Space Base. This is America’s lone base on the island.

To be clear, this formalised agreement, too, did not give the US sovereignty over Greenland. The Defense of Greenland agreement, in fact, makes a clear reference to the “sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark”. What it did offer the US was wide-ranging military rights.

Two years later, in 1953, Greenland’s colonial status ended. Denmark informed the UN that it had become an integral part of the Kingdom, with constitutional representation in parliament and other benefits. 

Over the years, Greenland’s level of autonomy gradually increased. In 1979, it achieved “home rule” autonomy and, in 2009, this was upgraded to the present “self-government” arrangement. 

Notably, the Self-Government Act of 2009 recognizes Greenland as a self-determination unit — that is, its population of around 57,000 can hold a referendum on independence.

In 2004, the Defense of Greenland agreement was again updated. In an article for Chatham House, Professor Marc Weller writes: “In the updated agreement of 2004, the US expressly notes the change of the status of the territory from colony to that of an ‘equal part of the Kingdom of Denmark,’ precluding any US challenge to the lawfulness of that change of 1953.”

Ulrik Pram Gad wrote for the Danish Institute for International Studies: “Today, Greenland is not an independent state but part of the Danish Realm. It manages almost all internal affairs, while Denmark retains formal responsibility for foreign policy, defense, and security in coordination with the Government of Greenland.”

So what rights does the US have in Greenland?

After a meeting with NATO Secretary general Mark Rutte, Trump announced that a “framework” of a deal on Greenland had been decided.

According to media reports, the potential plan could allow the US to build more military bases in Greenland and get sovereignty over those pockets. It could potentially allow the US to mine for rare earth minerals, without seeking permission from Denmark, according to The Telegraph.

But the US already enjoys sweeping military rights in Greenland that would allow it to safeguard the Arctic region, thanks to the Defense of Greenland Agreement. The pact allows the US to “construct, install, maintain, and operate facilities and equipment, including meteorological and communications facilities and equipment, and to store supplies” in “defense areas”.

The US can “station and house personnel” and “provide for the protection and internal security of the area”. It can also “control landings, takeoffs, anchorages, moorings, movements, and operation of ships, aircraft, and water-borne craft and vehicles”. Essentially, this means the US can ramp up its military presence on Greenland at will.

It can do all this under a key caveat — “without prejudice to the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark”. 

So, Trump really didn’t need to issue his threats to buy or annex the territory by force. And, indeed, it doesn’t seem like he will end up getting ownership after all. The framework he announced has no suggestion so far of US ownership. And it is unclear is what exactly it offers in addition to America’s existing rights.

More will be known once this agreement is hammered out. For now, Europe will heave a sigh of relief.