Military of Iceland
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| Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical affairs: |  Icelandic National Police, Icelandic Coast Guard |
| Defence Department: |  Icelandic Crisis Response Unit Iceland Air Defence System |
| Military manpower: | |
|---|---|
| Coast Guard: |
160 |
| Police: |
700 |
| Special Operations Unit of the National Commissioner: |
52-56 (2007) |
| Radar Agency (IADS): |
80 |
| Crisis Response Unit: |
100 |
| Reserves, Civil Defence and Rescue Units: |
18,000+ |
| Military manpower - availability: | |
| males age 15-49: | 80,587 (2007 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | |
| males age 15-49: | 72,990 (2007 est.) |
| Military Defence expenditures: | |
| Official Defence Department Expenses (includes IADS): |
26.6 million USD (2008) |
| Other Military or related expenditures: | |
| Coast Guard: |
28.4 million USD (2007) |
| Crisis Response Unit: |
10 million USD (2007) |
| National Commissioner (incl. Special Forces) |
19.4 million USD (2007) |
| National Police (overall incl. National Commissioner): |
110.2 million USD (2007) |
The Republic of Iceland, a NATO member, maintains no standing army. It maintains however a well trained Coast Guard, Police forces, Air Defence system as well as a voluntary expeditionary peacekeeping forces. Iceland has, in addition, a treaty with the United States for military defences, which maintained a military base in Iceland until September 2006.
The Government of Iceland contributes financially to NATO's international overhead costs and recently has taken a more active role in NATO deliberations and planning. Iceland hosted the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Reykjavík in June 1987 and participates in biennial NATO exercises entitled "Northern Viking" in Iceland; the most recent exercises were held in 2001. In 1997 Iceland hosted its first Partnership for Peace (PfP) exercise, "Cooperative Safeguard," which is the only multilateral PfP exercise so far in which Russia has participated. Another major PfP exercise was hosted in 2000. Iceland has also contributed ICRU peacekeepers to SFOR, KFOR and ISAF.
In April, 2007, it was announced that Norway and Denmark had signed memorandums of understanding with Iceland, regarding surveillance, rescue and military operations the North Atlantic. Norwegian special forces, naval and coast guard vessels and Norwegian fighter and reconnaissance planes will participate in visits, exercises and other defence activities in Iceland and in Icelandic airspace. [1][2] Danish naval vessel are also no longer required to report every crossing into Icelandic territorial waters. Icelandic Coast Guard will help Danish authorities in Greenland with rescue operations and take part in naval maneuvers with the Norwegian navy. [3][4][5] Yearly military exercises are also slated to continue under Icelandic command. In the 2007 North Viking exercise both the Icelandic Coast Guard and the Special task force of the national commissioner participated with military detachments from America, Norway, Denmark, Latvia and NATO. [6]
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[edit] History
[edit] The Settlement and the Civil War
In the period from the settlement of Iceland, in the 870s, until it became part of the realm of the Norwegian King, military defences of Iceland consisted of multiple chieftains (Goðar) and their free followers (þingmenn, bændur or liðsmenn) organised as per standard Nordic military doctrine of the time in expeditionary armies such as the leiðangr. The armies being divided into units by the quality the warriors and birth. At the end of this period the number of chieftains had diminished and their power had grown to the detriment of their followers. This resulted in a long and bloody civil war known as Sturlungaöld in the 13th century. During and before the war more than 21 fortresses and castles were built.
The average battle consisted of little less than 1000 men with the average casualty rate of 15%. This low casualty rate has been attributed to the blood-feud mentality that permeated Icelandic society which meant that the defeated army could not be slaughtered honourably to a man. As well as the requirements of Christianity to get a pardon from a cleric for each fiend smitten, which resulted in only people of low class taking care of executions. While executions after battle were not common, they were extensive when they happened.
Amphibious operations were important part of warfare in Iceland in this time, especially in the Westfjords, while large naval engagements were not common. The largest of which was an engagement of a few dozen ships in Húnaflói known as Flóabardagi. One side employing smaller longships as well as boats and the other large Knaars, other larger merchant ships and ferries. Although neither side expected to do battle at sea, the battle was fought in a fairly standard way for the time, the ships being bound together, starting with archery and rock throwing, then spear hurling and ending in a melee all over the fleet, ships being exchanged by each side many times.
At first the chieftains relied primarily on peasant levies but as the war progressed and Norwegian military influences became more pronounced, their personal retinues expanded and became more professional. At the end most of the chieftains had been slain and only one of the original chieftains who started the war remained. It had nonetheless become evident that no one chieftain was powerful enough to vanquish all the others and ensure peace. Which led the Icelandic betri bændur (better farmers or farmer leaders) of the South, North and Western Iceland to submit to the Norwegian crown on Alþingi in 1262. Two years later in 1264 the Lords of Eastern Iceland, the Svínfellingar, submitted as well, but the Eastfjords had completely escaped the ravages of war, mostly because of its geographical barriers of wastelands, mountains and glaciers.
[edit] In Union with Norway
Peace barely ensued as the Norwegian King had little capacity to enforce his will over the Atlantic Ocean, his navy, although the most powerful Atlantic navy at the time was too small to carry big enough invasion force all the way to Iceland. The native Nobles continued to maintain their elite troops, which were called sveinalið while the sýslumenn (sheriffs), most of which were noble descendants of the chieftains, maintained soldiers or sveinar for the defence duties that had been delegated to them by law. But all inhabitants of a sýslumaður´s fief was obligated to follow them as well in battle against invaders.
The king rarely asked for expeditionary forces to help defend Norway, although Icelanders in Norway had been obligated to help Norwegian defences since the early 12th century. There are however a few documented occasions of Icelandic expeditionary armies coming to the king's aid.
As the church became more powerful its bishops and priests became more militant, at the peak of its power the two bishops could command armies consisting of over 6% of Iceland's total population. The Bishop's own sveinar could expect to become priests after their military service. The two bishops became de-facto Ecclesiastical Counts or Kirkjugreifar, responsible for law enforcement and overall command of military defences. Icelandic noblemen became wary of the Bishops powers in the late 15th century and protested. During the 15th century, when English traders and fishermen started to come to Iceland, it became a common practice among chieftains to buy cannons for defence against foreign ships and for internal conflicts. Other firearms, such as the hand gonne, known as haki or hakbyssa in Iceland, became popular as well.
[edit] The coming of Lutheranism
Since the king of Denmark had embraced Lutheranism in the early 16th century he had campaigned to convert his realms from Catholicism to Lutheranism. In the 1540s it was Iceland's turn. Lutheran bishop was elected as the bishop of Skálholt diocese and bitter feud ensued. Although the bloodshed didn't come close to the Civil War fought in the 13th century it was still considerable as the bishops fielded armies of thousands, and even fought at Alþingi. In a bid to isolate Skálholt, Iceland's last Catholic bishop Jón Arason of Hólar diocese attempted to cut its lines of communications to the Westfjords by invading the lands of Daði Guðmundsson í Snóksdal. Although initially successful in capturing Sauðafell he was later defeated by Daði's army and captured with his sons. Jón Arason and his sons were then transported to Skálholt and then beheaded. Danish mercenary force mostly consisting of Landsknechts arrives a year later to support the conversion. Although no open warfare continued, the Danish king was still wary of an insurrection and ordered the destruction of all Icelandic arms and armor. Further mercenary armies, consisting of Landsknechts, are sent to carry out these orders over the next years. After that starts a period where Royal Danish forces are responsible for the defence of Iceland. The Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy patrols the coasts of Iceland, but mostly to prevent illegal trading rather than piracy. Some Icelandic sheriffs, however, manage to continue to maintain considerable retinues, especially in the Westfjords, where the Landsknechts were not as thorough in their search.
This lack of weaponry among Icelanders made them more vulnerable to pirate attacks than before, although in some places, such as the aforementioned Westfjords, Icelanders managed to massacre foreign pirates. Icelandic officials complained about this in letters to the king and as a result many halberds were sent to Iceland by Royal edict. The halberd, known as atgeir or arngeir in Icelandic, became a signature weapon of Icelandic farmers. The king remained wary of the Icelanders, and refused to supply them with firearms. As most of the pirates were well armed with such weapons it made defences difficult. However some old guns and cannons still remained and could be used against their ships.
In 1627 Icelanders were shocked at the inability of the Danish forces to protect them against raiders from Barbary who murdered and kidnapped a large number of people. In some places Danish troops fled from these Muslim raiders, but the Captain (Höfuðsmaður) of Iceland, who was the highest ranking military officer and overall governor of Iceland, managed to defend Bessastaðir by hastily building fortifications and damaged one of the raiding ships severely with cannon fire. Some Icelanders were nonetheless angered that he didn't sink the ship despite it being stuck for 24 hours on a reef in front of the fortifications. As a result Icelanders formed local militias with the king's blessing in places such as Vestmannaeyjar.
[edit] 18th and 19th centuries
In the decades before the Napoleonic wars, the king declared his intention to send considerable amount of money to arm the Icelandic militias with muskets. However, his pledges were not fully fulfilled and in 1799 the few hundred militia-men in the South West of Iceland were mostly equipped with rusty and mostly obsolete Medieval weaponry, including 16th century halberds. When English raiders arrived in 1808, after sinking or capturing most of the Danish-Norwegian Navy in the Battle of Copenhagen, the amount of gunpowder in Iceland was so low that it prohibited all efforts of the governor of Iceland, Count Trampe, to provide any resistance.
In 1855, the Icelandic Army was reestablished by Andreas August von Kohl the sheriff in Vestmannaeyjar. In 1856, the king provided 180 rixdollars to buy guns, and a further 200 rixdollars the following year. The sheriff became the Captain of the new army, which become known as Herfylkingin, "The Battalion." In 1860, von Kohl dies, and Pétur Bjarnasen takes over the command. Nine years later Pétur Bjarnasen died before appointing a successor, and the army falls into disarray.
[edit] Independent Iceland
In 1918 Iceland regained sovereignty as a separate Kingdom ruled by the Danish king. Iceland established a Coast Guard shortly after, but financial difficulties make establishing a standing army impossible. The government hoped that a permanent neutrality would shield the country from invasions. But at the onset of Second World War, the government, becoming justifiably nervous, decided to expand the capabilities of the National Police (Ríkislögreglan) and its reserves into a military unit. Chief Commissioner of Police Agnar Kofoed Hansen had been trained in the Danish Army and he moved swiftly to train his officers. Weapons and uniforms were acquired and near Laugarvatn they practiced rifleshooting and military tactics. Agnar barely managed to train his 60 officers before the United Kingdom invaded Iceland on May 10, 1940. The next step in this army building move was to train the 300 strong reserve forces but the invasion effectively stopped it.
[edit] Cold War
Iceland's main contribution to the NATO defence effort, during the Cold War was the rent-free provision of the "agreed areas"—sites for military facilities. By far the largest and most important of these was the NATO Naval Air Station Keflavík, manned by American, Canadian, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch personnel. Units from these and other NATO countries also are deployed temporarily to Keflavík, and they stage practice operations. Many of these practices were anti-submarine warfare patrols, but these exercises were halted when the P-3 ASW aircraft were withdrawn from Keflavík.
Iceland and the United States regarded the U.S. military presence since World War II as a cornerstone to bilateral foreign/security policy. The presence of the troops was negotiated under a treaty known as the Agreed Minute. Talks about the American presence were restarted as of 2005, since the U.S. government was keen on deploying its troops and equipment to parts of the world with more pressing need for them. Proposals by the Icelandic government included a complete Icelandic takeover of the Airbase, as well as replacing the Pavehawk rescue helicopter unit with a detachment from the aeronautical half of the Icelandic Coast Guard, in exchange for the continued stationing of the four F-15C interceptors in Keflavík. On March 15, 2006 the U.S. government announced that the Iceland Defense Force would be withdrawn by the end of September 2006. The last American troops left on September 30, handing control of the Keflavík base over to the Sheriff of Keflavík airport, who was to be in charge of it on behalf of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
[edit] Current Affairs
On September 26 2006 the Government of Iceland released a document pertaining Icelandic responses to the withdrawal[1]. It includes plans to found a Security and Defence authority overseeing all such organisations in Iceland, including Police and Coast Guard. Increasing the capabilities of the Coast Guard by purchasing vessels and aircraft, founding a Security or Secret service and establishing a secure communications system spanning the whole country. In addition, MP Magnús Þór Hafsteinsson of the Liberal party has, in agreement with views expressed by Björn Bjarnason Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical affairs, voiced his party's willingness to raise a standing army. [2][3] [4] Many have campaigned for an Icelandic standing army since the late 19th century, including Iceland's Independence hero Jón Sigurðsson,[7] but except for the attempt in 1940 it has amounted to little.
- See also: History of Iceland
[edit] Icelandic Crisis Response Unit
Main article: Icelandic Crisis Response Unit
The Icelandic foreign ministry operates an expeditionary military unit called the "Crisis Response Unit" or Íslenska friðargæslan (in English: the "Icelandic Peacekeeping Guard"). It has received military training and equipment from the Norwegian Army, and is manned by civilian specialists, policemen and coast guardsmen. The unit provided support to peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan running the airports in both territories' respective capitals. The unit has also sent military mobile observation teams to northern Afghanistan and civilian observers to Sri Lanka.
In October 2004 three Icelanders were injured in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul. The incident led to tough questioning of the group's commander, Colonel Halli Sigurðsson, focusing on his conduct (the incident apparently occurred while he was on a shopping expedition in an off-limits area) and his exact status. The opposition has accused the government of creating an army by stealth. Icelandic peacekeepers were pictured heavily armed in national papers alongside captions such as "If this is not a soldier then what is?" According to Davíð Oddsson, then foreign minister, the peacekeepers are considered soldiers by NATO and international law, but since they lack sufficient training and are members of no Icelandic standing army, they are, as for Icelandic politics, unbecoming of the title hermaður (soldier).
The Sýslumaður (sheriff) at the Keflavík NATO base also commands an intelligence unit, known as IIS-NATO or the Icelandic Intelligence Service, which is tasked with acquiring intelligence on the Crisis Response Units operational territories.
[edit] Iceland Air Defence System
Main article: Iceland Air Defence System
Iceland also has a "radar agency" which operates the Íslenska Loftvarnarkerfið ("Iceland Air Defence System"). It was founded in 1987, and operates four radar complexes, a software and support facility and a command and report centre. Like the Íslenska Friðargæslan it is under the auspices of the defence department of the foreign ministry.
[edit] Coast Guard
Main article: Icelandic Coast Guard
The Icelandic Coast Guard originates back to the 1920s. Its main tasks from its initiation have been to protect Iceland's most valuable natural resource—its fishing areas—as well as provide security, search, and rescue services to Iceland's fishing fleet. In 1952, 1958, 1972, and 1975, the government expanded Iceland's exclusive economic zone to 4, 12, 50 and 200 nautical miles respectively. This led to Iceland's conflict with the United Kingdom, known as the "Cod Wars". The Icelandic Coast Guard and the Royal Navy confronted each other on several occasions during these years. Although few rounds were fired, there were many intense moments between the two nations. The Captains of the Icelandic Coast Guard ships were regarded as heroes and earned their names in the history of Iceland as Iceland's bravest men. This attitude of heroism towards the Coast Guard persists in Iceland.
[edit] Special Unit of the National Police Commissioner
The Special Unit of the National Police Commissioner, usually called Víkingasveitin (The Viking Squad), is similar to Germany's GSG 9 and Britain's SAS; a well-trained group of operatives. The unit handles security of the state, anti/counter-terrorism projects, security of foreign dignitaries, as well supporting the police forces in the country when needed. The Viking Team is divided into five squads: a bomb squad that specializes in explosives; a boat squad that specializes in operations on sea and water, diving and underwater warfare; a sniper squad that specializes in sniper warfare, entries, and close target reconnaissance; an intelligence squad that specializes in anti-terrorism intelligence, surveillance and infiltration; and an airborne squad that specializes in airplane hijacking operations, skydiving surprise assault operations and port security. Members of the Viking Team were deployed in the Balkans as a part of operations lead by NATO, and some members have been deployed in Afghanistan. The unit used to be under the command of the Reykjavík Chief of Police, but in 2004 a new law was passed that put it directly under the National Police Commissioner. The Viking Squad has approximately 55 members.
[edit] Possible standing military
Currently, the political tide in Iceland is against the formation of a regular armed force.[citation needed] However due to recent events, such as the U.S. military leaving, the heating tension in Europe with Russia and an important military exercise in August, 2007, the government of Iceland is considering taking steps to create a defense force in Iceland.[citation needed] This would mainly consist of a police-military force to begin with and weaponry received from the Danish military, trained by Norwegian officers.[citation needed] A Gallup poll from May, 2007 showed an increase in Iceland's concern regarding the island's defense and had the support for an Icelandic defense force at 68%.[citation needed] The overall decision for an Icelandic army is still in question.
[edit] Sources
- ^ A press release from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- ^ An English translation of the Norwegian-Icelandic MoU at the website of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- ^ Norway Post: Norway and Iceland to sign defence agreement
- ^ Aftenposten: Norway to help defend Iceland
- ^ Danmarks Radio
- ^ A press release from the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
- ^ Jón Sigurðsson, "Um verzlun á Ísland", Ný félagsrit 3. p. 116-117.
- Birgir Loftsson, Hernaðarsaga Íslands : 1170-1581, Pjaxi. Reykjavík. 2006..
- Þór Whitehead, The Ally who came in from the cold : a survey of Icelandic Foreign Policy 1946-1956, Centre for International Studies. University of Iceland Press. Reykjavík. 1998.
- Icelandic Coast Guard.
- Icelandic National Police.
- Iceland Air Defence System.
- Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs.
- Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
[edit] See also
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