MPA - Island spiller to melodier og forvirrer USN - Iceland News

Icelandic PM Requests Further Information on U.S. Navy Hangars

By Geir Finnsson

Politics

December 07, 2017 11:29

Photo: Golli

Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has asked for further information on the U.S. government’s plans for expanding their navy hangars in Keflavík. RÚV reports.
The U.S. Navy may expect to receive roughly 14 million dollars to make necessary refurbishments to the army’s flight hangars in Keflavík. This is due to the increasing Russian presence in the North Atlantic, particularly close to Iceland.
Katrín is chairman of the Left-Green Movement, a party that opposes all military involvement. Although she is in a cabinet with the Independence Party and the Progressive Party, both of which support military involvement in Iceland, Katrín does not believe that further involvement is on the cabinet’s agenda.
“I have requested further information from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in regards to these flight hangars. It doesn’t exactly come as a surprise after news of more preparedness, especially in the ocean close to us. But I have also spoken with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and there are no plans for the army to be here in the long run which is important in my mind.”

Katrín expects to learn whether the U.S. Navy requires the Icelandic government’s permission for the refurbishments. It hasn’t been made clear yet whether there will be severe changes or not.By Geir Finnsson

U.S. To Refurbish Navy Hangars in Iceland

December 05, 2017 12:05Updated: December 05, 2017 14:37

Photo: aceebee/Wikipedia

The United States Navy may expect to receive roughly 14 million dollars to make necessary refurbishments to the army’s flight hangars in Iceland. Vísir reports.
The U.S. Congress has already passed a bill on the funding, which is currently awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature.
This will be done in order to accommodate more P-8 Poseidon jets in Iceland, which specialize in locating submarines.
Out of the 59 jets available in the world, 8 have been stationed in Iceland. This is due to the increasing presence of Russian submarines in the North Atlantic Ocean, specifically near Iceland.
According to a spokesman from the Department of Defense, Russia has focused on increasing submarine activities in the North Atlantic, as it provides easier access to U.S. shores in the unlikely event that a conflict might ensue one day.
Magnus Nordenman, a specialist at the Atlantic Council, believes that Iceland will be as important as it used to be in the Cold War. Its location provided the U.S. with a valuable viewpoint into Soviet activities in the North Atlantic Ocean.
“Iceland is key,” he added. “It’s the unsinkable aircraft carrier in the middle of the Atlantic that you can fly from.”