BERLIN, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Germany will send 13 soldiers to Greenland on Thursday as part of a reconnaissance mission with other European nations, the German government and defence ministry said on Wednesday, following demands by President Donald Trump for Washington to have control of the island. The mission, which comes at the request of Denmark, will take place from Thursday to Saturday, aiming to explore possible military contributions to bolster the security of the region, a defence ministry statement said. This could, for example, include maritime surveillance, it added. Trump has repeatedly said in recent weeks that Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark that is strategically located and rich in minerals, is vital to U.S. security, and that the United States must own it to prevent Russia or China from occupying it.
Oh wait, I see I haven’t answered your question. The land has strategic value because it sits between Russia and North America. During the Cold War in particular, it was a good place to put early warning radar to detect nuclear launches. Now, for example, the waters around the island are patrolled for Russian submarines and stuff. And as the Arctic Ocean’s surface ice thaws, there are valuable trade routes there that different states want to control. And there might be some fancy minerals on the island itself.