Iceland Considers Strengthening Defense in Response to US Plans for Greenland

Iceland is contemplating enhancing its defense capabilities and reopening discussions about EU membership in response to the US position on Greenland.

The Wall Street Journal reported on this.

As one of NATO’s founding members, Iceland does not maintain a standing military and is not part of the EU.

Iceland’s strategic location between Greenland and Norway once provided NATO with a key base during the Cold War, allowing it to monitor Soviet naval forces.

In December of last year, US President Donald Trump emphasized that controlling Greenland was a vital necessity for the United States.

As a result, Iceland now finds itself caught in the growing tension between President Trump’s administration and Europe.

The situation surrounding Iceland

Following the rise in tensions with the Russian Federation in 2014, US officials informed their Icelandic counterparts of their intention to resume operations at the Keflavik Air Base, located just outside Reykjavik.

Iceland quickly agreed and began investing in military infrastructure around the island.

The four other Nordic countries—all of which have land borders with Russia or are separated from it by the Baltic Sea—are ramping up their defense, while Iceland is taking a different approach.

American naval aircraft now regularly patrol the surrounding seas from Keflavik in southwestern Iceland.

NATO fighter jets take turns flying from the base to patrol the skies between Iceland and Russia. Meanwhile, the submarines and warships of the alliance are entering Icelandic ports.

The United States believes that both Iceland and Greenland are crucial for internal security.

Greenland is located on the path of Russian nuclear warheads targeted at America, making it vital for missile detection and defense.

Iceland is the highest point of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a massive and largely submerged mountain range formed by the collision of continents.

Russian submarines on their way to America would be forced to cross the ridge.

Defense Plan

Currently, Icelanders are discussing whether they need to strengthen the country’s defense more actively and whether it is worth reopening negotiations for EU membership, which they suspended in 2013.

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir plans to hold a referendum on the matter by 2027.

Iceland, like other Nordic countries, has long sought to keep the Arctic free from militarization.

However, since this is no longer possible, Icelanders are now evaluating what a new defense strategy might look like.

“There has never been public support for the military in Iceland, and I don’t think that will change in the foreseeable future. That doesn’t mean we can’t have active defense or active alliances,” said Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

Last year, Ukraine and Iceland signed an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support.