Trump's NATO Agreement on Greenland's 'Base Sovereignty' Military Base Ownership to Apply to US Forces Korea
With US President Trump and the NATO reaching a tentative agreement on the ownership of military bases in Greenland, the possibility of applying 'base sovereignty' to US military bases in Korea has increased.
President Trump announced on the 21st, during his meeting with NATO leaders at the Davos Forum, that he had reached a framework for an agreement with NATO on the future of Greenland.
Trump told reporters, "This is a deal that everyone is very happy with. It's a long-term deal. It's the ultimate long-term deal. It puts everyone in a very good position, especially on security and minerals issues." He then added, "This is a permanent deal," indicating "permanent ownership of the military bases."
Three senior officials familiar with the negotiations told the New York Times that the agreement came just hours after allies separately discussed the possibility of the US acquiring land sovereignty for military base use.
Last August, President Lee Jae-myung watched with laughter as President Trump demanded ownership of US military bases in Korea, broadcast live from the White House to the world. He later praised the White House's "gold-plated interior." Then, in December, at a press conference marking the first anniversary of martial law, he declared, "I thought it was a joke," and "Ownership is subject to taxes," effectively accepting Trump's unilateral statement at the summit.
The Trump administration's expansion of military bases is seen as an extension of Operation Golden Dome, a new space-based defense network. President Lee repeatedly praised Trump's "gold" during the summit.
In his speech in Brussels on the 21st, President Trump said, "European countries, Japan, and South Korea are our partners," adding, "We've reached major agreements, particularly on oil and gas. These agreements are spurring growth and driving the stock market to a boom."
In his speech in Brussels that day, President Trump stated, "I'm open to almost any other agreement that expands America's presence," but again stated, "That alone isn't enough," adding, "You have to have ownership to defend it. Who wants to defend a license agreement or a lease agreement?" He also revealed his ownership of US military bases. President Trump announced the agreement through Truth Social that evening, stating that he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had "laid out a framework for a future agreement regarding Greenland, and indeed the entire Arctic region." He added, "If this solution is finalized, it will be a great solution for the United States and all NATO countries."
President Trump's announcement followed a meeting with senior military officers from NATO member states in Brussels that day, where they discussed the possibility of a territorial compromise. Senior Western officials familiar with the negotiations told the New York Times that Secretary-General Rutte had been exploring a compromise this week and that they were unaware that the concept of a small portion of Greenland with a U.S. military base and sovereignty was part of the framework announced by Trump.
One official present at the meeting likened this "military base sovereignty" concept to the U.K.'s "Cyprus base," and Cyprus, where the U.S. military base is located, is considered British territory.
The New York Times reported that a second official briefed on the discussions confirmed that the Greenland plan was "modeled after the British sovereign base in Cyprus." In response to questions about the details of the framework announced by President Trump, NATO stated in a statement on the 22nd that "negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will focus on ensuring that Russia and China never gain an economic or military foothold in Greenland."
The Associated Press reported on the 22nd that Trump "said in his social media post that he had reached an agreement with NATO leaders on a "future agreement framework" for Arctic security and that "further discussions" on Greenland were underway regarding the Golden Dome missile defense program." The program, a multi-layered, $175 billion system, would deploy American weapons in space for the first time. One idea NATO members discussed as part of their compromise with Trump was for Denmark and its allies to work with the United States to build more U.S. military bases in Greenland.
Reuters reported on the 22nd that, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a Swiss Alps resort, Trump said the Western Arctic allies could reach a new agreement on the strategic island territory of 57,000 people. This could satisfy his desire for the 'Golden Dome' missile defense system and access to critical minerals, while blocking Russia and China's Arctic ambitions.
The Washington Post said on the 22nd, “According to the existing treaty, the United States can modernize its bases or strengthen its missile defense system at any time as long as it undergoes working-level consultations with Denmark,” and “The ‘Golden Dome’ mentioned by Trump is not a new contract, but merely a ‘political rebranding’ of existing rights under a fancy name.”
The New York Times reported on the 22nd in an article analyzing Trump's diplomacy, "A high-ranking Danish official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, said, "There has been no direct discussion between Denmark and the United States about the possibility of transferring sovereign lands to the United States."
The 1951 ‘Defense of Greenland Agreement’ between the United States and Denmark guaranteed ‘unlimited’ military bases in Greenland, and the U.S. Space Force (formerly the Air Force Defense Command) is operating an early warning radar to detect ICBMs launched from the former Soviet Union at the Pituffik space base in northwest Greenland.
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