US plans to expand Greenland consulate to 17 staff

The United States plans a major expansion of its consulate in Nuuk, with staffing set to rise to about 17, DR reports.

A US State Department document seen by Politiken outlines plans to expand and renovate the consulate, with between 167 million and 214 million kroner allocated to the project. The proposed 2,784-square-metre facility would have more than four times as many staff as the consulate has had in recent years, the newspaper reports.

The information comes from a market survey issued by the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, which is part of the US State Department.

Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, a senior researcher in US foreign policy at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said the planned staffing and scale of the facilities stood out compared with other countries’ diplomatic presence in Greenland and US missions in similarly small countries. He told Politiken the expanded consulate could function as a “shadow embassy”.

The United States reopened its consulate in Nuuk in 2020, after it had been closed since 1953. This year, it moved into larger premises, most of which have since remained empty. The opening was met by hundreds of demonstrators, according to DR.

The European Union has an office in Nuuk with four staff, while Canada is represented by one person, Politiken reports.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the United States wants control and ownership of Greenland, which is part of the Realm of Denmark. In late September, the United States, Greenland and Denmark agreed on a new security and defence deal. It allows the United States to establish two additional military bases in Greenland. The country currently has one, Pituffik Space Base, in north-western Greenland.