The first U.S. presence could be established at Narsarsuaq around 2028, while significant capabilities at Mestersvig may not emerge until about 2030, Arctic security expert Troy Bouffard said. Both timelines depend on funding and construction pace.
The United States, Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement on September 22 to expand the U.S. military presence on the island. The document supplements the 1951 defense agreement and provides for new defense areas at Narsarsuaq in the south and Mestersvig in eastern Greenland. The White House published the agreement.
Bouffard, director of the University of Alaska’s Center for Arctic Security, said the different timelines reflect the sites’ existing infrastructure. Narsarsuaq already has basic infrastructure, allowing an initial U.S. presence around 2028. Mestersvig is a multiyear project, with significant capabilities likely to emerge closer to 2030.
Full development of both sites could take up to 10 years. Bouffard said the work would require fuel storage, permanent infrastructure, port upgrades and year-round supply lines. He said adequate funding and high priority could shorten the schedule.
As a precedent, Bouffard cited construction of the current Pituffik base, formerly known as Thule. Its core infrastructure was built over about two construction seasons in the early 1950s, with thousands of workers and extensive supplies delivered by sea. He called those emergency measures and said that under ordinary budget conditions the new sites would likely be developed in stages, though emergency funding could accelerate the work.
Pituffik in northwestern Greenland remains the main active U.S. military facility on the island. During the Cold War, Washington maintained a much wider network of military installations in Greenland, most of which were later closed.