Iceland No Home for Permanent U.S. Military Presence

Posted February 12, 2016 at 6:46am

The Iceland Monitor reports that “There are no plans at this stage for an increased or permanent US military presence in Iceland, according to a senior US official.”  

“News broke on Tuesday of US Navy plans to upgrade an aircraft hangar in Keflavík, South-West Iceland, to serve as a base for air maritime patrol missions hunting Russian submarines.”  

The piece continues: “Icelandic Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson has confirmed that no talks have taken place between Iceland and the US on the subject of a permanent military posting in Iceland. ‘We are, however, constantly discussing defence issues and the new security situation in Europe calls for a greater presence.’”