Rubio Praises Iceland as US Arctic Military Outpost

By Staff, Agencies

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has praised Iceland for allowing Washington to use its territory to “project power” into the Arctic and monitor military activity in the North Atlantic.

Speaking in Iceland on Tuesday, Rubio said the country provides the US military with a strategic position for operating across its land, airspace and surrounding waters. He described Iceland as a “critical outpost” for monitoring what he called clandestine activity and deterring adversaries.

Iceland, a NATO member since the alliance was established in 1949, is strategically positioned for monitoring Arctic airspace and supporting missions tracking Russian submarines operating in the Atlantic.

Its location gives Washington a role similar to that provided by Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory that US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to annex.

Rubio stressed that Washington would not take action in Iceland without the consent of the Icelandic government.

Questions over US intentions were renewed after Trump posted an image depicting North America and nearby islands under the US flag, including Iceland and Greenland. Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir subsequently summoned US Ambassador Billy Long to lodge a protest.

At a joint press conference, Rubio and Gunnarsdottir sought to play down the incident. Rubio said the two governments were “not talking about social media posts,” while Gunnarsdottir said Iceland and the US were “looking forward, not backward.”

The comments come as Washington continues to strengthen its military posture across the strategically important Arctic and North Atlantic, with Iceland’s geographic position making it an important location for US surveillance and military operations.