Defending Iceland?

[chopper2004]

Looking at the USAF web, and pics of Northern Viking exercise, take it in spite of the Naval Air Facility closing, the 56th RQS re locating to Lakenheath and the F-15 dets' gone, there is and will still see rotational deployments of USAFE or ACC aircraft to defend Icelandic Airspace?

[aw ditor]

Is there another Cod War' in the offing?

[brickhistory]

Is there another Cod War' in the offing?

Holy mackerel!*











* and we're off...

[glad rag]

I believe there are Norwegian A/C deployed to Iceland??

[tonker]

I spent a few months flying with Icelandics and posed the obviously stupid question of why not do it and pay for it themselves. This after endless propaganda about their wealth and cleverness etc.

Out came the begging bowl hands and wimpering voice "we are but a small poor nation etc":rolleyes:

[M609]

I believe there are Norwegian A/C deployed to Iceland??

Only during Northern Viking. We did however sign a defense agreement with Iceland last year, allowing for RNoAF F-16/P-3 to "come to Iceland s aid" when needed. (A lot of politicians exchanging handshakes with no prospect of adding funds to pay for it.......)

France did have Mirages up there for a long period of time earlier this year, don't know if they are still there.

[Double Zero]

The comment about 'we're so rich & clever' quickly changing to ' small poor nation' rang a loud personal note...

An Icelander I knew was still in mourning after his job making the fuel tanks for Kevlavik finished years before, and reckoned once the U.S. really pulled out it'd just be tumbleweed.

He also happened to be a thieving scrounging git, but I can't blame the whole of Iceland for that !

Does Iceland do anything towards it's defence, i.e. help fund deployments, support etc ?

[BOAC]

Its biggest threat at the moment is the sinking Krona. I have not seen any mil whizzy stuff there since my 'return' in September. Astraeus is looking after them at the moment.:)

[Green Flash]

I did meet some (well, 2) Icelandics at Kabul a few years ago. One was a crane driver (drove the German Army crane that worked the pan in front of AirForce1). I was told they were being looked after by the Noggies and that one had recently been promoted into the Norwegian Royal Gaurd (609, confirm please, over?!). The crane man had a beard of Billy Gibbons proportions and only grunted. He was about 6'10" tall and built like the Pontypool front row. Bit scary.

[ftrplt_fr]

France did have Mirages up there for a long period of time earlier this year, don't know if they are still there.

Nope, we're not there anymore. The Air Islande 2008 mission ended in the last days of June. There was four Mirage 2000-5 from Escadron de Chasse 1/2 Cigognes that made some air superiority stuff, made runs against Tu-95s and shadowed two of them. Long hours of boring and a few minutes of excitement. Interesting experience, though.

http://escadron1.2cigognes.free.fr/reportages/ai2008/inter.jpg

[knowitall]

"Does Iceland do anything towards it's defence, i.e. help fund deployments, support etc ? "

they have deployed Coast Guard EOD teams to afghanistan

[M609]

I was told they were being looked after by the Noggies and that one had recently been promoted into the Norwegian Royal Gaurd (609, confirm please, over?!).

Don´t know about the guard thing, but the Army and Air Force has trained a lot of the Icelanders prior to deployment in Afghanistan. Iceland provided MOT teams for the Norwegian PRT in Meymane some years back.
They ran Kaia 3-4 years ago as well.

[Green Flash]

Thanks 609:ok:

[mick2088]

Iceland has an overseas rapid response unit, made up of people from the coast guard, police force and civilian medics. They were the ones trained by the Norwegian Army and then sent to Afghanistan. I think when they ran KAIA it was the Icelandic police.

[davejb]

"GMPG by the frozen peas,
81mm mortar battery back of the Viennettas...*
...sorted.

Dave

(*those wanting the full 'advert' experience can add either:
(A) A video endorsement by a bankrupt ex girl band member, or
(B) the phrase '...for everything else there's Mastercard'

Add/delete to taste - or lack of, enjoy!)

[Gargleblaster]

I come from Iceland. Population is 300 000 and the area approaches the one of the UK.

Think !

Forget the assumed and inflated economical importance of Iceland, the country is virtually bankrupt at the moment.

In the 40ties, Iceland only got rid of 500+ years of Danish occupancy thanks to Hitler, Churchill and Roosevelt. There has never been a military.

Traditional defense of one's homeland is not something that occupies people very much these days.

However, Putin has shown himself from his worst side recently. He has demonstrated that Russia is not at all ready to participate in any new and better world order. This worries the peoples of Iceland, but it should worry NATO even more.

Russia's flights of Tupolevs (which have nuclear capabilities) is an unheard of (since the cold war) provocation, that no other country has practiced. Especially since targeted at a virtually un-defended country like Iceland. Americans would call it bullying.

History repeats it self. Shipping routes are as important as ever. Submarines are still important.

It only takes one big undemocratic country with a minority complex and a undereducated population to start the next big one.

And Iceland is gonna be in the middle of it.

[Flight Detent]

quote...

"..country with a minority complex and a undereducated population..."

I thought he WAS talking about Iceland...

I have worked for Air Atlanta for a few years, and have been to Iceland a few times...and if the rest of the Icelandics are anything like the "managers" in AAI...I wouldn't feed 'um!

But damn, they are a strategically sensitive island!

Lucky for them!

Cheers to all...FD...:cool:

[Green Flash]

And Iceland is gonna be in the middle of it.

So what's Iceland going to do about it, then?

Cut the price of faggots in gravy?

Buy more football teams?








:}

[BelArgUSA]

How about supplying cases of "brinnewinn" bottles to NATO forces...
Strange people really (but I have many good friends there)...
Was funny, many years ago, beer sales were illegal, but liquors were not.
I was always welcome, if importing the limit of 24 bottles of... Icelandic beer...
Everyone getting off the plane at KEF was bringing a case of beer.
xxx
:ok:
Happy contrails

[Al R]

Whoops, another 'defending Iceland' tangent.

Icelandic banks in latest restructuring - Times Online (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article4863901.ece)

[Exnomad]

Did not Iceland used to be called BEEJAM

[Guzlin Adnams]

:E Ok ok..........who put Iceland on e-bay!

[BOAC]

Of more importance to some of us - how is the bidding going..............?

[Boxer42]

Novembers AFM states the following....

"Typhoon Force is currently declared to NATO and is due to undertake its first deployment to Keflavik, Iceland in December to provide air surveillance and interception capability. The deployment is being undertaken in support of NATO's agreement to meet Iceland's peacetime need for Quick Reaction Alert cover. The first three-month commitment was provided by French Air Force Mirage 2000Cs. RAF Typhoons will deploy for a limited period during December."

[gravity victim]

Too late to defend Iceland now - the Russians have just bailed out their economy, reportedly getting a deal in return to use Keflavik. I doubt the Americans will be too pleased...

[MarkD]

Time to start worrying about upgrading Canada's QRA capability on the east coast!

(edit - if Tom Clancy had thought of the Russians buying rather than invading Iceland, Red Storm Rising might have been less of a doorstop!)

[ORAC]

Too late to defend Iceland now - the Russians have just bailed out their economy, reportedly getting a deal in return to use Keflavik.

Spectator: Coffee House exclusive: What the Russians want in return for bailing out Iceland (http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2203316/coffee-house-exclusive-what-the-russians-want-in-return-for-bailing-out-iceland.thtml)

Near-bankrupt Iceland's €4bn ($5.43bn) loan from Russia is still not a done deal. Iceland's central bank Governor David Oddsson says that talks are still "ongoing" but that any aid from Russia would be "very much welcomed."

You can understand why Iceland is desperate for a massive euro-injection in the current bank crisis: the Sedlabanki, the central bank in Reykjavik, urgently needs euros because it has only €4.5bn in its current reserves and the country’s banking system needs to refinance about €10bn before year end -- not easy when the Icelandic krona has fallen 40 per cent against the Euro currency so far this year.

But what price will the Russians demand for their bailout? A highly-placed source in Reykjavik tells Coffee House that Iceland might look kindly on requests from Russia's military to use America's former military base in Iceland. America closed its Naval Air Station at Keflavik Airport two years ago, handing back the Nato facility to the Icelandic government.

Now the word in Reykjavik is that the Russians could have use of it in return for the loan. Not that Keflavik would become a Russian air base -- Iceland is a member of Nato, so that is out of the question -- but it would suit the Kremlin to be able to use it for, say, refuelling and maintenance. Having use of such a facility only a few hours flying time from North America would be a major Russian propaganda coup and cause consternation in Washington.

Iceland is in two minds. It wants to remain a loyal Nato member. But it is also in financially desperate straits and there is some resentment about the abrupt manner in which the Americans left, leaving the massive facility to deteriorate. So Iceland might look more kindly on any Russian request than the rest of Nato thinks.

UPDATE: Sources in Reykjavik, who've now read our story, tell Coffee House that Iceland turned to Russia for a loan after the EU, the Scandinavian countries and the US Federal Reserve turned it down.

[Dunhovrin]

Well off-thread but...

Where did the Icelandics get their money from in the first place to bankroll all their bank/football team/airline buy-outs?

I remember hints a few years ago it might not be the cleanest roubles...


And, this is well off-topic: where's the money gone? Like the whole banking thing the money wasn't shredded, all the deals had two parties. These banks have lost a shed-load of cash. To whom? Someone's got it.

Anyway back to bat-hanging in the Whifferdill...

[skippedonce]

The PM has announced to the media that the UK will look at taking legal action against Iceland regarding its financial istitutions. Great way to hack off a NATO member who is actively being courted by Russia!

Bets on the Typhoon deployment going ahead?