Defense boost, but no army
Iceland, as the only NATO member with no army but with a strategically important location in the North Atlantic, occupies a unique position in the alliance, especially as U.S. President Donald Trump pressures members to bump up their military spending.
While there are “no current plans” to build up a standing army, Iceland is “very serious on strengthening our defense cooperation,” said Gunnarsdóttir, who is also responsible for the country’s new defense strategy.
She added that Iceland, which currently hosts NATO exercises and provides infrastructure and other support, wants to “be a respected and reliable ally, both in NATO and also … with the EU.”
The incoming defense strategy will include “more support to allied operations out of Iceland,” Gunnarsdóttir reported, including cyber defense and strengthening domestic capabilities such as the national coast guard. The country’s parliament is to agree on the content of the strategy by autumn.
In the meantime, satisfying a NATO ask to spend 1.5 percent of its GDP on defense-related goals is the country’s “main objective,” Gunnarsdóttir said.
Washington calling
Trump’s threats to annex Greenland, another Arctic island with strategic positioning for defense, are setting the tone for Iceland’s future referendum, with the country’s leader saying she doesn’t want her compatriots to join the EU out of fear.
