International-News

Nasa discovers secret US Cold War base under Greenland ice

Camp Century, the Pentagon’s US nuclear project, resurfaces: 21 tunnels, a reactor and the Iceworm plan for missiles under the Arctic ice cap

A Nasa team has located the remains of Camp Century, an American nuclear base built during the Cold War, under the ice of Greenland. The discovery dates back to last spring, when scientists were testing a new radar in northern Greenland and detected anomalous structures: a network of 21 interconnected tunnels for almost 3 kilometres, dug into the ice sheet and connected to underground settlements.

Project Iceworm and the real purpose of the base

Camp Century was part of Project Iceworm, a top-secret Pentagon plan to install a network of nuclear missile launch sites under the Arctic ice. Publicly presented as an engineering feat and research centre, the base actually housed living quarters, laboratories, a mess hall and even a gymnasium for about 200 military personnel, powered by a nuclear reactor transported over 210 kilometres. The ice cap, however, proved too unstable and the project was abandoned in 1967.

The United States in Greenland: a long history of military presence

The Camp Century revelation rekindles the spotlight on the historical US military presence in Greenland, a Danish territory of great strategic importance. Already during World War II, Washington gained control of the island’s defence to prevent German occupation. After the war, the United States tried to buy Greenland for 100 million dollars, without success. However, thanks to a 1951 treaty, the US retained the right to establish bases on the island.

Tensions with Denmark and Trump’s ambitions

The presence of US nuclear weapons in Greenland has historically been a source of tension with Denmark, which has declared itself a denuclearised zone. Camp Century was built without fully informing Copenhagen of its military purpose. Today, the US presence has been reduced to less than 200 military personnel at the Pituffik space base, but Greenland remains at the centre of strategic analysis. President Donald Trump recently criticised Denmark for its handling of the island and threatened direct intervention in the name of US national security.

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