Camilla Jessen
Long known as the only NATO country without a standing army, Iceland is quietly ramping up its defenses.
Iceland, the only NATO member without a standing military, is rethinking its role in regional security as global tensions rise, especially in the Arctic.
Long committed to military neutrality, the island nation is now investing more in defense as worries grow over Russian submarine activity and changing relations between Europe and the United States.
While other Nordic countries—Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark—are building closer defense ties and working toward more independence from the U.S., Iceland is choosing a different path.
It continues to rely on NATO and partnerships with bigger allies, The Wall Street Journal reports.
A Strategic Spot in the North Atlantic
Iceland has no army, even though it helped found NATO in 1949.
It also isn’t part of the European Union, but remains closely connected to Europe through trade and defense cooperation.
Once known mainly for fishing, Iceland is now also a center for green energy and technology, thanks to its geothermal and hydroelectric resources.
During the Cold War, NATO had a base at Keflavik, near the capital Reykjavik, to keep an eye on Soviet ships.
When U.S. forces left in 2006, military activity slowed, but that changed in 2014.
The base reopened, and American planes began flying patrols again. European fighter jets and NATO ships now regularly pass through Icelandic airspace and ports.
Iceland’s location between Greenland and Norway makes it a key checkpoint for Russian submarines trying to move from the Arctic into the Atlantic. Because of the shape of the ocean floor in that area, submarines have to move closer to the surface, where they’re easier to track.
Rethinking EU Membership
Iceland’s changing security role has sparked new discussions about its defense strategy and whether the country should restart talks about joining the European Union.
Iceland paused those talks in 2013, but Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir says she plans to hold a national vote on the issue by 2027.
There has never been public support in Iceland for an army and I don’t think there will be in the near future,” Frostadottir said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t have an active defense and we can’t have active alliances.
Right now, Iceland’s Coast Guard is in charge of national defense.
Once focused mostly on fishing patrols, it now plays a bigger role, taking care of the Keflavik air base and managing air defenses.