The Christian Science Monitor reports that “when the United States closed the Keflavik Naval Air Station in Iceland in 2006, military analysts in both nations were stunned.”  

“While a menacing Russian agenda – the genesis of the base in 1951 – seemed remote in the aftermath of the cold war, Iceland was still viewed as a gem of a monitoring post.”  

“Now, the US is giving its strategic value a fresh appraisal.”  

“Last month, the Pentagon allocated $21.4 million in its 2017 fiscal budget to renew hanger facilities and restore infrastructure at the base. The planned upgrades will pave the way for basing P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance planes there. The submarine-hunting P-8s will help patrol the North Atlantic – and serve as a counterbalance to Russia’s growing military presence in the region.”