WSJ: US wants to strengthen military presence in Iceland to control the Arctic

The United States intends to strengthen military cooperation with Iceland to further expand its presence in the Arctic. This is reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) following the trip of Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Reykjavik.

The publication notes that the deal concluded in September between the United States, Denmark and Greenland to expand its military presence on the island does not fully satisfy the claims of US President Donald Trump for control of the region. However, the agreement opened up opportunities to expand the US military presence and dramatically increased Iceland’s strategic importance.

Mr Rubio described Iceland as a critical outpost for tracking covert activity and deterring adversaries. At the same time, during a press conference with Icelandic Foreign Minister Katrin Thorgerdur, the US Secretary of State stressed that Washington’s additional military presence is possible only with the consent of Reykjavik.

Ms. Thorgerdur noted that American forces are already regularly present in Iceland, in particular in connection with anti-submarine defense. Rubio is committed not only to strengthening Iceland’s relations with the United States, but also to increasing NATO’s presence in the region.