The United States and Greenland continue to expand their dynamic partnership, strengthening relations well beyond a traditional focus on security policy. In August 2004, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller and Home Rule Deputy Premier Josef Motzfeldt met in Igaliku, Greenland to sign an update to the 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement and two additional political declarations that have broadened and deepened cooperation between the United States and Greenland. Specifically, the Igaliku Agreements created the Joint Committee, which served as an expanded forum to promote cooperation between the United States, Denmark and Greenland across a diverse range of policy areas, including environment, science, health, technology, trade, tourism, education, and culture.
Reopening the U.S. Consulate
The Secretary of State announced May 2019 the intent to re-establish a permanent Department of State presence in Greenland. On June 10, 2020 we reopened the U.S. Consulate in Nuuk, Greenland. The Consul and consulate staff work to find opportunities to broaden and deepen the relationship between the United States and Greenland. Primary areas of focus are expanding commercial and investment ties as Greenland seeks to diversify its economy in sectors such as tourism and mining. The United States also looks to expand partnerships in education and scientific research. Informing the Greenlandic population, through public diplomacy efforts, of U.S. interests is also a key objective. You can follow such efforts on Instagram @uskalaallitnunaanni and on https://www.facebook.com/usconsulatenuuk.
The relationship between the United States and Greenland continues to expand, improve and become much more versatile. U.S. activities in Greenland include official visits, people-to-people exchanges, expert consultations, cooperation on mineral resources, environment, science, energy, technology, and health concerns, security support, and diplomatic and consular visits.
Pituffik Space Base
Pituffik Space Base is the northernmost installation of the U.S. Armed Forces, located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Pituffik’s arctic environment offers some of the most spectacular scenery found anywhere in the world, including majestic icebergs in the North Star Bay, the massive polar ice cap, and Wolstenholme Fjord–the only place on earth where three active glaciers join.
Pituffik Space Base is home to sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance, and satellite control to the United States Space Force (USSF) and mission partners such as the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Pituffik Space Base is also home to the 821st Space Base Group, responsible for integrated base support operations of the Pituffik Defense Area and the entire multinational population of “Team Pituffik.” The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron which operates Pituffik’s solid-state phased-array radar designed to detect and track ICBMs launched over the North Pole. Pituffik is also host to Detachment 1 of the 23rd Space Operations Squadron, a crucial remote tracking station for the USSF’s global satellite control network. In addition, Pituffik’s 10,000-foot runway and its seaport, the northernmost deep-water port in the world, provide a unique platform for Arctic training, international scientific research and environmental programs.
For more information on the base, please visit Space Base Delta 1’s website .
DTU Space at Pituffik – National Space Institute
DTU Space – National Space Institute, operates a permanent GPS station at Pituffik Space Base. This station is one of 91 global core stations in the International GNSS Service (IGS) network of tracking stations defining the International Terrestrial Reference Frame. Data from this station contribute to precise determination of GPS satellite orbits, precise timing and space weather forecasts for the use of the international scientific community. Recently a secondary tracking station has been established to facilitate tracking of new generations of GPS satellite signals.
Learn more on the DTU Space website.
U.S. – Greenland Science Cooperation
The United States actively conducts a broad range of scientific research across Greenland in partnership with Danish and Greenlandic institutions and other international partners. The leading funding agencies include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The United States maintains facilities in Greenland including Summit Station. Further information on specific research facilities and projects can be found in the links below.
