Fortress Iceland: The Argument For a Renewed Military Presence to Secure the GIUK Gap and Deter Potential Russian Aggression Along NATO's North Flank.

Originally posted 5/26/24
Iceland, a founding member of NATO, once had a defense force in the form of the United States military to deter Nazi Germany from occupying the country in WWII and later its presence was used in deterring and containing the Soviet Union during the Cold War along the GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, and United Kingdom) Gap.  Since 2006 however, Iceland has been void of a standing defense force apart from occasional NATO drills being held on the island and rotating aerial patrol missions by NATO states.  Given the Russian invasion of Ukraine and increasingly aggressive rhetoric toward NATO from Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, is the time right to have an U.S. military presence back in Iceland to protect a country with no military yet a vital piece of the GIUK Gap?   This piece argues for the consideration of such a presence given two conditions are met; money plus available military personnel to effectively project a NATO presence along the Gap and, most importantly, respect for Iceland's sovereignty and their own foreign policy decisions outside of American influence.  

(New comment added since the first upload of this post).  Much has been said in the media of the Trump administration's efforts to 'annex' Greenland.  While a very important anchor of the GIUK Gap, I do not think that the administration will follow through on such initiatives nor would I think it a good idea; Denmark, a NATO member, provides defense for the territory and would allow the U.S. to defend it in the event of a foreign invading force under NATO's Article V.