NATO Exercises Near Iceland Held Without US Participation for First Time

In August, NATO's annual Northern Viking exercise took place off the coast of Iceland, and for the first time in decades it proceeded without any US ships or aircraft, according to Politico via Yevropeiska Pravda.

During the exercise, allied forces practiced hunting Russian submarines in waters near Iceland. Participants included German surveillance aircraft, Canadian warships and Belgian fighter jets. Command of the exercise was handed to a French officer for the first time.

A message to Russia and allies alike

The allies intended the drills to demonstrate to both NATO members and Russia that Europe is capable of defending the continent and operating in the North Atlantic without American leadership. Jonas Allansson, head of the defense directorate at Iceland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the exercise reflects a broader trend of Europe and Canada stepping up, visible directly in Iceland.

Northern Viking had been led by the United States for decades. Still, Washington has not withdrawn entirely from the island — American military construction crews are building new facilities at the military section of Keflavik airport, and the US also assisted in planning this year's exercise.

Iceland sits at the center of a route Russian naval forces can use to move their low-noise nuclear submarines from bases on the Kola Peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean. NATO regards the area as a strategic barrier line critical to controlling Russian submarine access to the North Atlantic.

As previously reported, in December 2025 Britain and Norway announced a major defense cooperation agreement to protect undersea infrastructure, involving joint naval activity by both countries in the northern Atlantic. That same month, the British navy escorted a Russian submarine through the English Channel, while the Netherlands has repeatedly tracked suspicious Russian vessels in the North Sea.