US military base plan offers lifeline to struggling Greenland settlement

A US proposal to establish a new military base in southern Greenland could revive the dying settlement of Narsarsuaq, where the local airport—the community’s largest employer—is set to close within days, DR reports.

The US has identified Narsarsuaq as one of three potential sites for a new base, currently under negotiation with Danish and Greenlandic authorities. While many Greenlanders oppose US military presence following former President Donald Trump’s 2019 suggestion of purchasing the territory, the settlement’s 139 residents face an existential threat: the shutdown of its airport, which will be replaced by a new facility 60 kilometres away in Qaqortoq.

Naja Lund, a fifth-generation resident whose family remains in Narsarsuaq, expressed conflicted feelings about the prospect. “I don’t feel good about the Americans right now,” she said. “But if they can save the settlement so people can keep living here as they do today—and if they don’t exclude locals—then I suppose they’re welcome to expand and develop the area. Just as long as they don’t take over the land.”

Lund, who recently moved away but returned to help close the airport, fears the shutdown will sever her access to family. With no roads connecting Narsarsuaq to Qaqortoq, visits will require boat or helicopter trips—a costly barrier.

The settlement once thrived as the site of Bluie West 1, a major US military base active from 1941 to 1958. At its peak, Narsarsuaq housed 4,000–5,000 people, including 2,000 military personnel. The base served as a refuelling stop for World War II aircraft and included a 200-bed hospital, rumoured to have treated severely wounded soldiers in secrecy or to keep US troops away from local nurses. Today, only a chimney remains of the hospital complex.

The impending closure extends beyond the airport. Hotel Narsarsuaq, built from repurposed 1950s US military barracks and a landmark for travellers, will shut its doors this week. “It’ll be an emotional day. We’ll all need our handkerchiefs,” said manager Taus Borgqvist. The hotel’s inventory—from beds to souvenirs—has been sold off in recent days, with only a few desks and boards left for potential new owners.

For a settlement that once buzzed with wartime activity, the US proposal arrives as both a controversial opportunity and a stark reminder of its fading past.