First service stop by a US Navy submarine in Icelandic territorial waters

The American nuclear-powered submarine USS San Juan visited Iceland today for a brief service stop in the waters outside of Garðskagi, southwest Iceland.

The Icelandic Coast Guard vessel Thor provided support throughout the visit. Foreign Minister Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir announced on April 18 that nuclear-powered submarines of the US Navy would be authorised to make a brief service visit in Iceland to receive supplies and exchange crew members.

This decision by the Minister for Foreign Affairs is part of the Icelandic government's policy to support increased monitoring and response capacity of Allied countries in the North Atlantic.

In recent years, the Icelandic and US governments have increased cooperation to strengthen situational awareness and readiness in the North Atlantic. Iceland has from some time provided host nation support for US AWS aircrafts and other Allies at Keflavik Air Base. The support, which is now provided by supporting service call by submarines, is part of Iceland defence commitments and an important contribution to allied security.