ASIa News Desk. Reuters reported exclusively on Tuesday (September 22), citing three insiders, that under an agreement to be signed with Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, the United States plans to rebuild a Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and set up another base on the east coast, a site currently used by Denmark's dog sled patrol unit.

(Screenshot Source: Reuters)

Two of the sources identified the two locations as Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig.

The population of Narsarsuaq has shrunk to only a few dozen people since the United States closed its Bluie West One military base there in the 1950s. Mestersvig is a military outpost currently operated by Denmark’s special forces unit, the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol.

Denmark, Greenland and the United States are expected to sign the new security agreement at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time (14:30 GMT) on Tuesday during the UN General Assembly in New York.

The text of the agreement has not been released to the public. Three people familiar with the agreement said on condition of anonymity that the details will not be finalized before the official signing.

The Danish government and Greenlandic government have not immediately responded to Reuters' requests for comment.

A White House spokesperson declined to disclose specific terms of the agreement, only repeating an earlier statement that Tuesday’s signing will "secure and uphold the security of Greenland and the United States."

Denmark stated that the agreement means Arctic security matters will fall under the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), instead of being the sole responsibility of the United States and Denmark.

The agreement was reached after months of pressure from US President Donald Trump. Trump has long expressed his wish for the United States to take control of Greenland and repeatedly refused to rule out the possibility of acquiring the Danish autonomous territory through military or economic means.

Polls show the vast majority of Greenland residents oppose this idea.

Trump’s remarks peaked in January this year, triggering diplomatic tensions within NATO and pushing Denmark and Greenland into negotiations with Washington to ease US pressure.

During the Cold War, the United States maintained 17 military facilities in Greenland with more than 10,000 personnel stationed there. Today, the United States only retains the Pituffik Space Base with roughly 150 troops.