On a Friday in late March, the American Vice President arrived at a remote Arctic outpost in northwestern Greenland, a place where the sea ice holds the land for most of the year and the sun disappears for months at a time. The base, Pituffik, has stood since the Second World War as a quiet sentinel that watches for missiles crossing the polar sky, and it was there that a long, uneasy question about who truly guards Greenland, and who has the right to decide, was spoken aloud without an invitation from the island or from Copenhagen. Between an old 1951 treaty, a president's insistence that Gre
Inside Pituffik: The Cold War Arctic Base at the Center of Vance's Greenland Visit
On a Friday in late March, the American Vice President arrived at a remote Arctic outpost in northwestern Greenland, a place where the sea ice holds the land for most of the year and the sun disappears for months at a time. The base, Pituffik, has stood since the Second World War as a quiet sentinel that watches for missiles crossing the polar sky, and it was there that a long, uneasy question about who truly guards Greenland, and who has the right to decide, was spoken aloud without an invitation from the island or from Copenhagen. Between an old 1951 treaty, a president's insistence that Greenland must be America's, and a people who have declared that their land is not for sale, the visit stood as a moment when a distant frontier became a place where the old arguments about power and belonging returned to the surface.
On Friday, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance stepped off Air Force Two at Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, bundled in large camouflage-green jackets and waving to cameras and to the few who had come to greet them. Pituffik is one of the most isolated American military posts on earth, roughly 947 miles south of the North Pole, locked in sea ice for nine months a year and reachable only by air. For a few hours it became the stage for a dispute over who controls Greenland and who is responsible for defending it.
The base's work is watching the sky. It detects ballistic missiles and tracks debris from dead satellites, and it is the first place where a launch could be seen, its path calculated, and missile defences set in motion. Vance told the troops that if an enemy fired, the people at Pituffik would know first and warn the country. The American presence there reaches back to the Second World War and a 1951 treaty with Denmark, and under that agreement Washington may visit whenever it wishes, so long as it notifies Nuuk and Copenhagen.
The visit itself was contested. Neither Greenlandic nor Danish authorities had invited the Americans, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the plans unacceptable. Organisers said publicly that the pair had not been invited, which contradicted the second lady's account. Usha Vance dropped her plan to attend the Great Race of the North after protests greeted the couple.
At the base, Vance pressed his case. He said Russia and China were taking interest in the region, that America held strong evidence, and that Denmark had let its defences slip and failed to keep both American troops and its own people safe. He told Greenlanders that the American security umbrella was far better than the Danish one. His words followed President Trump's repeated claims that the United States must have Greenland and his refusal to rule out force, and they were answered by signs in Nuuk and Copenhagen saying the land is not for sale.
Greenland's new Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said that arriving while no government was in place showed no respect for an ally. He called it a shame but said his government now had to get to work. Four of the island's five parties had already signed a coalition agreement whose first line reads: "Greenland belongs to us." What comes next depends on whether the friction over the 1951 notification terms and among Washington, Nuuk and Copenhagen moves into formal talks on security or sovereignty.
On Friday, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance stepped off Air Force Two at Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, both wearing large camouflage-green jackets and waving to the cameras and the people who had come to greet them. The base is one of the most remote American military installations anywhere, and for a few hours it became the stage for a dispute over who controls Greenland and who is responsible for defending it.
Pituffik sits about 947 miles south of the North Pole, roughly 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) from the capital, Nuuk. Sea ice locks it in for nine months of the year, and from November to February the sun does not rise. The only way in is by air. The nearest town, Qaanaaq, is 75 miles to the northwest. The base has the northernmost deep-water port in the world, and its airfield runs year-round as a northern hub for the Pentagon and NATO. About 150 US Air Force and Space Force personnel are stationed there, along with Danish and Greenlandic staff. The 821st Space Base Group operates it.
Its job is to detect ballistic missiles and track debris from decommissioned satellites. The Danish defence analyst Peter Ernstved Rasmussen told The New York Times that it is "the outermost eye of American defence" and "irreplaceable", because it is where the US can detect a launch, calculate the trajectory and activate its missile defence systems. Vance made the same point to the troops: if an enemy fired a missile, he said, the people at the base would know first and warn the country.
The American presence dates to the Second World War, when Nazi-occupied Denmark left Greenland exposed and US forces built airfields, monitored weather and hunted German U-boats. A 1951 defence treaty with Denmark led to the Cold War base, then called Thule Air Base. In 2023 it was renamed Pituffik, to honour Greenlandic cultural heritage and mark its new status as a US Space Force site. Under the 1951 agreement, the US may visit the base whenever it wishes, provided it notifies Greenland and Copenhagen.
The visit itself was another matter. Usha Vance had announced a trip to the island, described as "a bit of fun", and the Vice President's attendance was confirmed on Tuesday, a day after hers. Vance joked that he did not want her to have all that fun alone. Neither Greenlandic nor Danish authorities had invited the Americans. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the initial plans unacceptable. Usha Vance was due to attend the Great Race of the North, a dog-sled event with 37 drivers, but she will no longer go after protests at the couple's arrival. Organisers said publicly that the pair had not been invited, contradicting the second lady's claim that they had been.
At the base, Vance did not soften his message. He said Russia, China and other nations are taking an interest in the region and that the US has seen "very strong evidence". He accused Denmark of failing to secure the region as it did 30 or 40 years ago, and of failing to keep American troops and its own people safe. European allies, he said, have not kept pace in military spending. His message to Denmark, he said, was that it had not kept it up, and he told Greenlanders that coming under the US security umbrella is far better than staying under the Danish one.
The remarks landed on top of President Trump's repeated statements that the US must have Greenland. "We have to have Greenland," he has said, adding that the US cannot do without it. He has also said he would "go as far as we have to go" and has declined to rule out force. Residents and politicians have answered with protests and signs saying their land is not for sale, including a demonstration outside the US embassy in Copenhagen where people held Greenland flags.
Greenland's new Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said that arriving while no government is in place does not show an ally respect. As reported by the Danish broadcaster DR, he called it a shame but said the government now needs to put on its work clothes. Four of Greenland's five parties signed a coalition agreement ahead of the visit, and its first page reads: "Greenland belongs to us." What to watch next is whether the friction over the 1951 notification terms and the dispute among Washington, Nuuk and Copenhagen moves toward formal talks on security or sovereignty.
Citations marquantes
It is far better to come under the US security umbrella than the Danish security umbrella.— JD Vance, at Pituffik Space Base
Visiting when there is no government in place is not showing respect for an ally.— Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's Prime Minister, as reported by DR
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