MP calls for plan to strengthen Iceland’s defences

Iceland needs a plan to use defence spending to improve the country’s defences and public security, MP Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson told Morgunblaðið. The newspaper reported that a parliamentary budget committee waited more than a year for a breakdown of the spending.

Guðlaugur, a member of the Independence Party and the committee, said he was surprised that no plan appeared to be in place. “This is not a parlour game, and it is not about reaching a particular figure by raising spending on paper,” he said.

The committee received a memorandum on Friday from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, detailing Iceland’s spending on security and defence. Guðlaugur said the figures raised questions and that the ministries’ calculation methods needed closer scrutiny.

Davíð Stefánsson, chairman of Varðberg, called the figures a rough breakdown but a step in the right direction. He said the finance minister should explain the figures and calculations in more detail, and that the government should set out a timetable for meeting the 1.5 per cent target.

Davíð also said the figures should be considered alongside recent discussion of funding for the police and the Coast Guard. Concerns have been raised about the situation facing the special unit and the need for more Coast Guard helicopters and crews. He said the connection to defence was clear in both cases.