U.S. Seeks to Expand Military Cooperation with Iceland in the Arctic

U.S, Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Icelandic FM Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Oct. 6, 2026. Photo: EFE

October 6, 2026 Hour: 9:26 am

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Rubio highlighted Iceland’s strategic role in NATO’s security and called for closer defense, economic and energy ties.

During a visit to Reykjavik on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is interested in increasing military cooperation with Iceland to improve security in the Arctic region.

“I think there is a willingness to do more together. Iceland’s contribution is in infrastructure, technology and its ability to conduct surveillance,” he said at a joint news conference with Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrin Gunnarsdottir.

Rubio recalled that the U.S. signed a defense agreement with Icelend, which is a NATO member but has no military forces of its own, in 1951. However, Washington withdrew its last troops stationed there in 2006, relocating them to more critical areas.

Nevertheless, “the world has changed in recent years,” he stressed, highlighting Iceland’s “essential role” in NATO’s defense, as well as in the security of Europe and the U.S., because of its geography.

“We are open to continuing these discussions to see what more we can do together. There is interest in doing more together, and there are opportunities that would make sense for both countries,” Rubio said, without providing further details.

Without directly naming Russia, the U.S. Secretary said the Arctic has become a setting for “irregular measures, covert measures,” as well as “threats to undersea cables and maritime routes,” which can only be countered collectively.

These threats are not solely military in nature but also economic and commercial, he said, referring to “predatory industries” associated with U.S. rivals that operate against American interests.

Rubio also advocated for further developing economic relations between the United States and Iceland, citing, for example, the potential use of Icelandic territory to train American astronauts and the exploitation of geothermal energy.

Rubio says Iceland is at the heart of Arctic security, as threats are growing

Its position between the US, Europe and the High North make the country crucial for the defense of these territories pic.twitter.com/uWE5cG4e68
— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) October 6, 2026

Strong Relations Between the U.S. and Iceland

During the news conference, Gunnarsdottir emphasized the “strong and positive” relationship between the two countries, which is considered highly important in Iceland’s security strategy. She said Reykjavik takes the need to safeguard the security of the High North and the North Atlantic “very seriously.”

Asked about the summoning of the U.S. ambassador after President Donald Trump published a map of the United States last month that included Iceland, she said her government is now focused on “the future” and “looks ahead, not back.”

The Icelandic government had previously sought explanations from Washington after it emerged that Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Reykjavik, Billy Long, had privately commented in the House of Representatives that he was prepared to be “the governor of the 52nd state.”

Rubio arrived in Iceland on Monday to discuss Arctic security, trade and energy relations, and closer defense cooperation with the island’s authorities. The visit comes after Iceland rejected, in an August referendum, a proposal to resume negotiations on joining the European Union (EU), which had been suspended since 2013.

The trip also comes after Greenland, Denmark and the United States signed a defense agreement in September that grants Washington an extensive, indefinite military presence and aims to shield the Arctic island from growing activities by “adversaries” such as Russia and China.