Donald Trump wants to take Greenland - and the White House has confirmed that all options are on the table, including the use of force.

While a military operation is just one of a range of economic and political options being considered, since it would be an attack by one NATO member on another, such a move would represent a nightmare scenario for the NATO alliance, and likely an existential one.

Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is vital to US national security, claiming without evidence that it is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.

With the expertise of US, British and Danish experts, we consider the various options the president may be looking at, and the possible justification for each one.

Military Action

Defence analysts say that a lightning operation to take Greenland could be done relatively easily, but the fallout would be monumental.

While geographically massive, Greenland's population is only around 58,000, about a third of which is concentrated in Nuuk, the capital, with the bulk of the rest living on its western coast.

The territory does not have its own military and Denmark is responsible for its defence, but it has limited air and naval assets in place to cover such a huge territory.

Large swathes of it are policed only by Sirius Patrol, a Danish special operations unit that relies primarily on dog sleds.

Denmark has, however, significantly upped defence spending in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions, including Greenland, in the past year.

Map

Its vast size, small population and lack of military would make it a ripe target for the US, which already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at the Pituffik facility in Greenland's north-western tip.

...