NATO exercise in Iceland sends strong deterrence message
Tuesday 18th August 2026 on 17:45 in
Iceland
Joint defence exercises held by Iceland and its NATO allies send a strong deterrence message, Jónas G. Allansson, director of the Defence Office at Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told mbl.is at the defence area at Keflavík Airport.
The Northern Viking exercise began on Tuesday and is the largest defence exercise held in Iceland. It takes place every other year and involves about 1,200 participants from 12 NATO countries, including between 150 and 200 Icelanders.
The exercise includes anti-submarine warfare drills and civil protection training involving the transport of injured people in wartime or following natural disasters.
“An exercise like this takes at least a year to organise. It is a large and complex project. Different scenarios must be planned and the participants connected,” Allansson said.
He said exercises were extremely important because they showed others that the countries involved in defence operations were familiar with conditions in Iceland. They also demonstrated the allies’ ability and willingness to assist one another and work together.
“That contains a strong deterrence message,” Allansson said.
Defending sea routes and infrastructure
The exercise is currently focusing on defending sea routes around Iceland. Much of the activity is therefore not visible, Allansson said, as ships are conducting anti-submarine exercises and practising communication between ships and aircraft.
Participants are also practising the defence of infrastructure in Iceland. Allansson said this was done regularly to ensure that support could be provided for ongoing operations.
The final part of the exercise will test the civil protection response, including the use of aircraft and ships to transport injured people. Such operations could be needed during wartime or after major natural disasters, he said.
Allansson added that exercises were held regularly around Iceland, including cyber defence exercises and other defence-related drills that were less visible than Northern Viking.