The NATO Country With No Military Gets Serious About Defense
“There is never been public support in Iceland for a military, and I don’t think there will be in the foreseeable future,” said Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir, who at 36 years old is among the world’s youngest national leaders, who took office in late December.
The country of fewer than 400,000 people is an anomaly. A founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it has no standing military.
Though rooted in Europe, it isn’t part of the European Union.
Traditionally a fishing island, it has become a tech hub thanks to bountiful geothermal and hydroelectric power.
Iceland has also long made itself useful to U.S. and NATO defensive efforts—something administration officials say hasn’t happened in Greenland, whose defenses Denmark controls.
Their location in the icy waters between Greenland and Norway offered NATO a base during the Cold War from which to monitor Soviet naval traffic.
Related:
Norway Is On A 100-Day Mission To Test Military Limits In The Arctic
There is also a growing sense that the Arctic could be a forum for future conflict. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden have joined NATO.
In recent years, Russia conducted a major military exercise north of Siberia, NATO focused part of its largest military exercise since the Cold War on the Arctic, and China’s Coast Guard entered the Arctic Ocean for the first time, patrolling alongside Russian ships.
President Donald Trump brought more focus to region with a pledge to acquire Greenland, describing ownership of the territory as a “necessity” for national security.
Climate change is likely to magnify many of the challenges associated with Arctic combat.
The region is warming much faster than the rest of the planet, which will alleviate some of the cold but also creates unpredictable conditions.
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