Report: US Presence in Greenland to Span 1K Miles

Washington will reportedly have two military bases some 1,000 miles apart on Greenland as part of a new agreement to be signed Tuesday. Reuters reports that the United States, Denmark, and Greenland will ink a deal Tuesday morning at the UN General Assembly to give the US a new presence at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the east coast. Narsarsuaq once hosted the American Cold War-era Bluie West One air base, shuttered in the 1950s; Mestersvig is currently used by Denmark's Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a special forces unit.

The text of the deal hasn't been released, and officials in Copenhagen, Nuuk, and Washington declined to comment ahead of time. A State Department official who spoke to ABC News said the deal will allow the US "to do what it deems is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the American continent," adding that US adversaries will be blocked from investing in "Greenland's sensitive sectors." Denmark has framed the arrangement as bringing Arctic security under NATO's umbrella, while recognizing Denmark's sovereignty and Greenland's right to self-determination. The signing ceremony is set for 10:30am ET.