That's it - the shortest route for Russian missiles to the US is via... Guess?

As the Voice of America writes, there is a small military outpost with about 80 people in Greenland, responsible for Danish supervision of security on the huge Arctic island of about 2.1 million square kilometers.

Greenland's government is largely autonomous, but the island is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Denmark retains responsibility for the territory's security.

Russian missiles

The United States has long viewed Greenland as vital to its defense, explained Mark Jacobsen, an analyst at the Royal Danish Defense College in Copenhagen.

"There is no question that it is geostrategically important in defending US national security against Russian missiles," Jacobsen told VOA. "The shortest route for Russian missiles to the US is via the North Pole, via Greenland".

Russia has invested heavily in its military presence in the Arctic in recent years. Its northernmost Nagurskoye Air Base on the northern coast of Siberia houses nuclear strategic bombers, missiles and surveillance systems.

Russian nuclear submarines patrol the Arctic seas, while a growing fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers projects the Kremlin's power across the region.

China and Russia have conducted joint military exercises in the Arctic. Beijing is also seeking access to valuable minerals beneath the ice.

"There is definitely a threat, especially from Russian military capabilities in that region. And NATO countries are just now starting to increase their capabilities," Jon Rabek-Klemmensen from the Royal Danish Defense College, told VOA.

Defence of Denmark

Denmark's military capabilities in Greenland consist of four aging navy ships, an observation plane and a dog sled patrol.

Copenhagen announced plans last month to invest in new surveillance drones, two new ships and additional personnel, while upgrading the existing air base to accommodate F-35 fighter jets. The exact cost has yet to be determined, but the government has said it will spend "double-digit billions" of Danish kroner, or at least $1.5 billion.

Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen admitted, however, that the government failed to invest in Greenland's security.

"For many years we have neglected to invest the necessary funds in our ships, in the aircraft that will help to monitor our kingdom, and that is what we are trying to do now," he told reporters on January 9. "Let's hope to create an investment package in which we will strengthen our ability to monitor what is happening in the Arctic, as well as to set up some new capacities."

Denmark hopes the upgrades will go toward "meeting US demands for increased surveillance in Greenland," Jacobsen said.

American space base

The US military has had a presence in Greenland since World War II, when US forces were deployed to the island after the fall of Denmark to Nazi Germany.

At the height of the US deployment, Greenland hosted more than 10,000 troops.

Pitufik Space Base on the northwest coast of Greenland, formerly known as Thule Air Force Base, is the northernmost military facility of the United States. It now has about 200 military personnel, along with missile attack warning, defense and space surveillance systems.

"Greenland's military protection de facto relies on the US," said Rabek-Klemmensen. "And the big question is whether the US wants to increase that presence, maybe to be able to carry out other types of military operations in that area."

Therefore, he added, Danish officials seem to be approaching the issue in a way that maintains good relations with the US.

"The Danish government is trying to touch on that word 'control' that Trump is using, which is a very ambiguous term," he added. "What does control mean? Does it mean owning a piece of territory? Or does it mean having a certain amount of military equipment in that territory?"

American-Danish relations

At Denmark's Arctic Command Center in Nuuk, the American flag flies next to the colors of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The building also houses the American consulate - a sign that for now American-Danish relations remain cordial.

Before Trump's inauguration, the US embassy in Copenhagen said there were no plans to expand the US military presence in Greenland.

That could change under a new president.

For now, Denmark and its European allies hope Trump's comments are part of a strategy to force NATO allies to spend more on defense.

"There is an important element related to his personality that he brings to the way that American diplomacy is conducted, or his diplomacy," Jacobsen said.

"In a positive light, if the US increases its presence in the Arctic, it will increase NATO's presence, because of the seven Arctic states, in addition to Russia, we are now all members of NATO."