Recent developments of Iceland’s security and defence policies Iceland is NATO’s only unarmed member state and has never seriously considered establish­ing a military. At the turn of the century, an Icelandic Crisis Response Unit was created to enhance Iceland’s contributions to NATO as the alliance was turning its attention away from the Atlantic. There was a short-lived debate about creating a military after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022, and again after Trump’s threats concerning Greenland in 2025. In 2022 the Minister for Foreign Affairs ada ­mantly opposed the idea, stating that if more money were to be allocated to defence, it would not be spent on a military 1 . But the fact that these ideas have even been aired demon­strates that there has been a considerable shift in Icelanders’ approach to and understanding of security and defence. A founding member of NATO, Iceland has relied heavily on member­ship for its security. Complementing the alli­ance, however, is a bilateral defence agreement between Iceland and the United States. A US military base – the Keflavík Air Base(KAB) – was operated in Iceland from the early 1950s until 2006, safeguarding its borders and pro ­viding military protection. The centre, right and social democratic parties generally supported NATO membership and the base, but the left wing, specifically the People’s Alliance(later the Left Green Movement) contested the base and US influence in Icelandic society overall. After the United States shifted focus to the Middle East in the early 2000s, it decided uni ­laterally to close KAB in 2006, and agree ­ments were made with other NATO member states, starting with Norway and Denmark, to secure air policing and ensure Iceland’s mili­tary protection. 2 In 2008, Iceland experienced its infamous financial crash, in the wake of which the gov­ernment shifted focus from hard security to economic security. Iceland’s geographical iso­lation was long thought to be a security guar­antee in itself. The Second World War changed that perception and Iceland became a founding member of NATO in 1949, estab ­lishing the bilateral defence agreement with the US two years later. Throughout the Cold War, Iceland was seen as an‘unsinkable air­craft carrier’ in the North Atlantic, and as such was even considered as instrumental to US territorial security. With shifts in focus after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, this importance started to fade. In 2006, the US closed KAB, much to the surprise of the Icelandic authori­ties. Subsequently, Iceland has had to do with­out a constant US military presence, forcing the state to adopt its own ideas on security. In response to this new reality, Iceland con­ducted its first Risk Assessment, preparations for which commenced in 2007 and concluded in 2009. The report highlighted military, envi ­ronmental, societal and economic risks in fif­teen different categories. These included finan­cial security; military threats; health security 1  Pétursson, V. Ö.(2023). Við þurfum að stofna íslenskan her. Vísir. https://www.visir.is/g/20232385456d/-vid-thurfum-ad-stofna-islenskan-her-; https://www.visir.is/g/20252693792d/leggur-til-is-lenskan-her-leyni-thjonustu-og-her-skyldu 2  Utanríkisráðuneyti Íslands(2007). Undirritun við Dani og Norðmenn um samstarf á sviði öryggismála. https://www.stjornarradid.is/efst-a-bau­gi/frettir/stok-frett/2007/04/26/ Undirritun-vid-Dani-og-Nordmenn-um-samstarf-a-svidi-oryggismala/(accessed on 14 June 2026). 4 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.