The Danish Parliament has voted through an agreement granting the US access to Danish military bases – including military infrastructure in the autonomous regions of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Critics warn of a slide in Danish sovereignty, while the government describes the agreement as a necessary step.
With a broad majority – 94 votes in favor and 11 against – the Danish parliament this week adopted a new defense agreement with the US. The agreement gives US forces the right to use several military facilities on Danish soil, including Karup, Skrydstrup, and Aalborg, as well as access to areas in the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
According to the Danish government, the agreement aims to strengthen Denmark’s cooperation with the US within the framework of NATO. Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen emphasizes that the agreement does not imply a permanent troop presence, but rather logistical capabilities and operational flexibility.
The Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the US military presence is seen as a way to be ready to respond quickly to crises in the Arctic and North Atlantic – areas that have become more important militarily as the security situation has changed.
The agreement has also attracted criticism from several quarters. Particularly controversial is the clause stipulating that US military personnel will be subject to US jurisdiction, even if they commit crimes against civilians in Denmark. Several opposition politicians have pointed out that this undermines the rule of law and goes against Danish legal tradition.
Shortly before the vote, the leader of the Unity List, Pelle Dragsted, said that the agreement is “harmful to the country”.
– It is an agreement that means that we will have areas in Denmark that are under American jurisdiction. Where Danish authorities cannot exercise control. And where mistreatment of prisoners can occur. It is a gigantic failure towards the Danish population.
Superpower logic guides decisions
Others believe that the agreement represents a step toward Denmark effectively ceding parts of its territory to a foreign power.
Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both of which have extensive self-government, have been formally informed of the agreement, but neither the Faroese Lagting nor the Greenlandic Inatsisartut have had the right to block the decision. This has led to further criticism, as many see it as Copenhagen bypassing local interests in favor of superpower logic.
In the background is also the geopolitical shift underway in the Arctic, where Russia, China, and the US are all trying to strengthen their positions. The US has previously shown interest in Greenland – not least after Donald Trump’s much-publicized proposal to buy the island – and considers it to be of strategic importance for surveillance and control of the North Atlantic.
The Danish government sees the agreement as a necessary adaptation to a new reality.
– The problem is not too much involvement from the US in Europe. On the contrary, the risk is that the US will withdraw and move troops away or stop donations to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier this week.
At the same time, there are growing concerns that Denmark is also making itself more vulnerable – both politically and militarily – in the event of a future conflict between major powers.
The Folketing’s decision therefore marks not only a deepening of cooperation with the US, but also a change in Denmark’s attitude toward military alliances and sovereignty—a choice that is far from comfortable for all Danes.
