NATO presence over Iceland reduced since financial crisis

The economic crisis in Iceland has also had repercussions on the military and NATO side, as detailed in a telegram signed by Kurt Volker, then American ambassador to NATO, revealed by Wikileaks.

We know that since 2007, the NATO allies have taken turns providing aerial surveillance of Björk's homeland... France having "stuck" first in this exercise in May and June 2008 (Operation Air Iceland 2008). But the terms were reviewed at the end of 2008, at the request of the Icelandic government.

First of all, the dispute which was in full swing between the United Kingdom and Iceland - in particular concerning compensation for British citizens who had placed their money in the Internet bank Icesave which went bankrupt in 2008 - had a first consequence: the British have given up their surveillance tour, which was to begin in December 2008, on "order of the Icelandic government". Then, it was thus agreed to reduce the guard shifts: from 4 to 3 per year. Finally, the countries sending planes were presented with a note: the food previously provided by the Icelanders is now billed at 26 euros / person / day As for miscellaneous ground costs (landing taxes, etc.), they are now billed at 2000 euros per day for 5 planes.

The presence on the island, however, allows, as the author of the telegram specifies, both the crews concerned to train but also to "demonstrate NATO presence in an Alliance area experiencing Russian encroachment".