Big changes at Keflavik.......
 

I know that we don't have that much traffic west bound these days, but thought the following info would be of some interest to those who still get the opportunity to head West every now and then.....,

"The United States plans to withdraw four Air Force fighter jets and a rescue helicopter squadron from its military base in Iceland by September, a move that will leave the island nation with virtually no military defenses and that has caused diplomatic tension between the two NATO allies.
Bush administration officials told Icelandic leaders this week that the United States would remove the F-15 fighter jets and several helicopters from Keflavik Naval Air Station, a base that has provided for Icelands security since 1951 as part of a bilateral agreement. The base was first used as an air bridge to Europe during World War II and later played a role in deterring the advance of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, when the U.S. military patrolled Icelandic airspace and conducted anti-submarine missions in the North Atlantic.
Defense officials said the decision to withdraw the permanently stationed aircraft, more than 1,200 U.S. military personnel and 100 Defense Department civilian employees came after discussions about moving U.S. assets to places where they are needed more. More than 600 Icelandic employees could lose their jobs as a result.
"After careful consideration of the global strategic environment, including the new threats and demands on resources, the continued permanent presence of U.S. fighter aircraft at Keflavik is no longer an appropriate use of those assets, nor is it in the best interest of the alliance," said Lt. Cmdr. Joe Carpenter, a Pentagon spokesman.
The United States spends about $260 million annually as part of an agreement to help provide for Icelands defense, but officials in Iceland had been negotiating to pay the bulk of the costs if the U.S. military stayed.
"We are deeply disappointed over this decision," said Helgi Agustsson, Icelands ambassador to the United States, who said he thought negotiations were going well before Washington abruptly told officials in Reykjavik of the plan to withdraw. "We have a defense agreement with the U.S., and with the withdrawal of the fighter aircraft, it raises the question of credible authority. Iceland has no military forces."
Officials in the United States and Iceland said they are unsure what the continued defense of Iceland would look like, though they hinted that NATO could have a presence."

Perhaps UK could replace the US assets, after all, we have plenty of experience with our current R&R facility in MPA!

GengisK:ok:

Had plenty of experience of Kef and MPA. I can recommend Kef, particularly if you make the effort to go to Rekjavik for a night out. There is a beautiful Icelandic goddess behind every tree!!;)

Goddess behind every tree....
 

Roland...., you are right on about the blue eyed maidens..., but the beer was so expensive....., rates came no where near...!

Now a night out in the Red Barron or the Flyers in Gander...., and couple of B52's then off to bed...., fighting your way through the cabbage cooking Ruskies on the Cuba run, who were hold up in Sinbads hotel...., that was more in keeping with the way things were.....! We would only NS in Kef if we were V heavy out of UK or jet stream was particularly active.....

GengisK:ok:

OK, but there are (almost) no trees in Iceland !:)

It only looked like a tree, that was her sister!!

'tis true!

Landed at KEF once and we all trooped into the spangly new terminal, rather than Uncle Spam's sheds.

It was obviously shift change time at the Scandiwegian blonde factory! A door opened and a succession of gorgeous Icelandic maidens came out - about a dozen identikit lovelies!

But Sven Sågisdottir had perhaps been the common father to most of them - the eyes were just too far apart to be totally normal!

BEagle

Any name that ends in..dottir means the person concerned is female...
Male names usually end in ..sson.

Sven Sågisdottir = 'Sven sh*gs his daughter'

Erika Sågshersson = 'Erika sh*gs her son'

Too subtle, I guess...:E

Yeah yeah Icelandic maidens!
Just like I spent all my time on hercs following the Swedish netball team around!
:)

Yup, Iceland has had 3 miss world / universes (whatever) in the past 15 or so years, not bad for a 300 000 population.

they are indeed lovely creatures, but is that really worth a facefull of hakarl breath in the morning?:eek:

Hmm - smell rather like a C-130 navigator's underwear, I guess?

'Hakarl (rotten shark) meat smells like stagnant urine or ammonia.'

But Hrútspungur sounds worse - ram's testicles pickled in whey and moulded into little cakes.

No wonder the on-base Burger King was always so busy at Keflavik!

Not to mention harðfiskur (hard fish).

And lundi (puffin), ah !

You can get anything down with the appropriate amount of Brennivín (burning wine), AKA Svarti Dauði (black death) !

:)

Yup, Iceland has had 3 miss world / universes (whatever) in the past 15 or so years, not bad for a 300 000 population. Yup - and only one Bjork, thank god.

Well .... the Iclandics might say they don't have any military - but - I remember that their corvettes were pretty aggresive during the cod war and, according to the Icelandic Major I met in a cold, high place this year, (yes, Major) they do their mil training with the Noggie Army and the first Icelandic has joined the Norwegian Royal Gaurd, considered a great honour. The ones I met were top blokes, despite the rotten shark meat which they had had flown out. If they can eat that stuff they truly are gods.:yuk:

Has there been much local-US friction in Iceland? Big fuss in Japan over various incidents alleged against US service people, and now the base consolidation is being opposed by the locals where the relocation is happening to.

Doubt there would be much friction as Kef is towards the end of a peninsula, and Rejkavik is about an hours drive away - far to far for any American to travel for a night out ;)
Anyway, why would they want to venture out when they have a 7-11, cinema and not forgetting the un-forgettable Coconut Alley bar :yuk:

You boys need to get out more. By the way, the Red Baron has been The Flip Side Lounge for about a million years.

It's not much of a traning program, just a few weeks of learning to dress properly, as well as som weapons training to keep them from hurting themselves with the G3 rifle.....

Then they send them to Kabul.......in Norwegian uniforms and kit, only the flag on the shoulder is diffferent (And let's face it, the flags are similar....)

A friend of mine was a weapons instructor for some of them last year. He recons the Iceland armed forces send troops with less knowledge/traning then what the average Norwegian conscript has at the end of basic training, to Afganistan.
(Mostly admin/log troops, but still)

Apparently, quite a few "when do I get my gun" types show up for training......

filthytabber....., about 14 years actually...., but what's a year or two between ppruners....!

My comments were posted with the past in mind...., as....

Ruskies on the Cuba run, who were hold up in Sinbads hotel...., that was more in keeping with the way things were.....!

GengisK :ok: