US New Enemy! Norwegian F-35 Lightning II Fighter Jet Performs Mysterious NATO Mission Over Iceland

Norwegian F-35 Lightning II fighter jets have completed a NATO mission to secure Iceland's airspace. If a mystery aircraft approached Icelandic airspace, four F-35s were ready. Since Iceland has no military, NATO nations provide air policing for three to four weeks at a time. NATO Air Policing, which protects Alliance airspace 24/7/365, is a peacetime task.

Norwegian mission lasted 19 January–9 February 2023. Norway is sending fifth-generation defense jets to Iceland again. F-35s are seen in hangars, on runways, and taking off. Lieutenant Colonel Trond Haugen, Squadron Leader, 332 Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, and Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir are also quoted.

Iceland's location in the High North makes it crucial. So, keeping an eye on the High North from Iceland is clearly important to maintaining situational awareness of what's going on up north in the NATO area of responsibility.”

Iceland is clearly crucial. As you know, they don't have their own armed forces, but their coast guard runs their air surveillance task here in Iceland with radars and systems to monitor Iceland's airspace 24/7. We integrated that part by being a first responder capacity with their two F-35s, which are on constant alert to intercept and spot any airspace threat.”

All F-35s are fifth-generation aircraft with SA-enhancing weapons. This task requires situational awareness. Its devices monitor our surroundings well. When we combine that with Iceland's radar capacity, it's a great way to stay informed.

Air policing shows NATO's powers and commitments, so it deters. We'd be more exposed without that. “We never had armies. We are 370,000, even though the land is big. It was smaller recently. It'd always be tiny. We founded NATO and have a bilateral defense deal with the US since 1951. When you prioritize the project and look at what makes sense, this is the result, and I don't think that's going to change, at least not soon.”

“Becoming a founding member of NATO was very contentious. Today, over 75% of Icelanders favor NATO membership. It's now our national security policy. With the war, I think most people can see what it would mean if we weren't. Having a war in Europe makes a new reality, a new norm that most of us were told wouldn't happen again. It brings the danger closer and makes Ukraine's neighbors—our neighbors and NATO members—feel the threat.

It also shows that our values, which we based our society on, are being challenged. And if we can't be sure that those are the values we are going to build our society on, you know, Iceland doesn't stand a chance in Putin's world, so then it's very clear and that is why we stand very firmly with Ukraine and say out loud in every opportunity we get that Ukraine must win this war, that's the only way we can really have peace again in Europe.”

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