Macron is the “leader” of only one of a handful of countries that rushed to the aid of the beleaguered Denmark over the loss of Greenland…with literally only a handful of help. Dr. Steve doesn’t cover the fact that Denmark welcomed the US base many years ago.
I asked Grok, “What is the US presence on Greenland now? How long has it been thus, and how did they achieve permission to establish a base there?”
Grok:
- The United States maintains a single military installation in Greenland: Pituffik Space Base (formerly known as Thule Air Base), located in the northwest region of the island.
- This base serves primarily as a space surveillance and missile warning facility under the US Space Force, supporting operations such as early detection of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) via the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), satellite control, and space domain awareness for NORAD and international partners.
- As of early 2026, approximately 150-200 US service members are permanently stationed there, supported by a total workforce of around 600, including contractors, Danish military personnel, and Greenlandic civilians.
- The overall US military footprint in Greenland has existed continuously since 1941, but the current configuration—a single base with a reduced personnel count of around 150-200 US service members—has been in place since the post-Cold War drawdown, roughly from the early 1990s onward.
- The shift to the current lower US staffing level reflects a transition from large-scale bomber and missile operations to focused space and surveillance roles, with the base transferring from the US Air Force to the US Space Force in 2020 and being renamed Pituffik Space Base in 2023 to honor local Inuit culture.
- The US established its presence through a series of diplomatic agreements with Denmark, Greenland’s sovereign authority, beginning during World War II and formalized under NATO frameworks.
- 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement: Signed on April 27, 1951 (effective June 8), this NATO-directed pact superseded the 1941 treaty, reaffirming Danish sovereignty while granting the US unlimited rights to develop and operate bases in designated “defense areas” (with provisions for expansion).