World war 2
In 1939, with war imminent in Europe, the German Reich pressed for landing rights for Lufthansa's aircraft for alleged trans-Atlantic flights. The Icelandic government turned them down. A British request to establish bases in Iceland for the protection of the vital North Atlantic supply lines after German forces occupied Denmark and Norway in April 1940 also was turned down in accordance with the neutrality policy.

Therefore, it was a rude surprise for the people of Reykjavík to awaken to the sight of a British invasion force on May 10, 1940. The country's strategic importance to the British was understood; what was annoying to Icelanders was the lack of consultation.

Iceland protested the use of military force by Britain but immediately accepted the fait accompli. Nothing could be accomplished by resisting. Newspaper accounts from that period suggest that there was a certain feeling of relief. Because of the historic links between Iceland and Britain, it was felt that if someone had to invade the country it was better to see the Allies come, and not the Axis.

Acceptance of the invasion, however, did not mean that nothing could be done about the situation. If it were true that the country needed "protecting," couldn't a neutral power provide that protection, thereby permitting a belligerent Britain to do its fighting elsewhere?

In the late spring of 1941, there was strong support in Iceland for such a solution. Following talks between British Prime Minster Winston S. Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Iceland agreed to a tri-partite treaty under which the United States was to relieve the British garrison in Iceland on the condition that all military forces be withdrawn from Iceland immediately upon the conclusion of the war in Europe.

The U. S. Marines came ashore in Reykjavík on July 7, 1941 at the invitation of the Government of Iceland, and were later followed by the U. S. Army and the U. S. Navy. Most British Army personnel were withdrawn the following year, leaving the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force as the primary British presence. When the United States mobilized in the wake of the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the importance of Iceland as a staging post was greatly increased. Hvalfjörður (Whale Bay) and Seyðisfjörður became the assembly points for convoys making the Murmansk run to ports in Northern Russia, and Meeks Field (later Keflavík Airport) was constructed for maritime patrol and trans-Atlantic aviation.

The geographical proximity of Iceland to the convoy routes is underscored by the fact that more German U-boats were sunk by aircraft based in Iceland than anywhere else in the world.

This meant that a large military force was stationed in Iceland throughout the war. At the peak there were 45,000 American servicemen in Iceland, in addition to forces from Great Britain, Canada, Norway, Poland, South Africa and elsewhere. Contemporary newspaper accounts speak of how the civilian population of Reykjavík was outnumbered by members of the various armed forces.

This disparity naturally led to social problems. Jealousies and grudges initiated at this time were not forgotten by some for decades. Nevertheless, the situation improved and there were offsetting material gains to the country. There was a division in the national view over the stationing of the foreign forces on Icelandic soil -- a division which remains to this day, colored by political ideology, economic interests, nationalistic sentiment and, to a lesser degree, pacifism.

The Present
Iceland has no national defence force of its own. It operates under a protection agreement with the USA and Nato, who maintain a military presence at Reykyavik/Keflavik AFB. Iceland does however operate an independent, unarmed, Coast Guard aviation capacity. Its wings are offered here for information.

The Iceland Defense Force is made up of people from all branches of the U.S. Armed Services and some member NATO countries. The majority of people serving in Iceland are assigned to Navy Commands, the 85th Group or various other units and organizations.

The Iceland Defense Force acts as an umbrella command for all other commands within Iceland. IDF is a joint-service staff comprised of Navy, Air Force and Army personnel involved with the operations, logistics, plans, intelligence, administration, staff judge advocate, provost marshal and public affairs support for the commander. The staff also includes Dutch, Danish and Norwegian liaison officers.