Defense
Iceland has no defense of its own. To see related acronyms about this country, please check ABBREVIATIONFINDER where you can see that ISL stands for Iceland. However, for coastal
and air surveillance there is a domestic surveillance force.
The country's defense is based on NATO membership since
1949. In 1951, Iceland signed a bilateral agreement with the
United States. The agreement with the United States meant
that the United States pledged to defend Iceland in the
event of war and Iceland left ground for an American air
base, the Keflavik base.
Until 2006, there were US military forces at the Keflavik
base. Formally, the agreement with the United States still
applies (2019). In 2007, Iceland signed a new military
agreement, this time with Norway which, in cooperation with
NATO, promised to protect Iceland. In 2016, Iceland and the
US entered into an agreement that US forces could be
re-located in Iceland.
Iceland's defense overview
Iceland has no military forces. The semi-military
coastguard, under the Ministry of Justice, has a staff of
250, three armed patrol ships, one aid vessel, one aircraft
and two helicopters (IISS, 2018)
The country is one of the original members of NATO, and
following a US-Icelandic defense pact from 1951, the United
States had military forces at the Keflavík base until 2006.
In 2007, Norway and Iceland signed an agreement on security,
defense, emergency and rescue cooperation. Iceland also has
a crisis force of 100 men, taken from the police and
coastguard, which can be deployed in international
peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the UN or
NATO. |
