Iceland Unhappy U.S. Pulling Defenses Out

Chron.com ^ | March 16 2006 | KRISTA MAHR/AP

[ChinaThreat]

Agreed. Iceland is a great place to stage for defense of the north Atlantic's shipping routes. As well as a secondary perimeter if there were ever any incusrion by Russia into Norway. Remember, there is a significant oil deposits off the coast of Norway.

However, we can probably move a great deal of assets their very quickly if needed.

[Neville72]

If I remember correctly, Iceland only has a population of just over 250,000, and really doesn't have the manpower or money for an effective military.

And the highest concentration of tall, beautiful Nordic blond women in the world.

[seowulf]

Cool! I was thinking more along the lines of three boobs, or something like that.

The one in the back is for slow dancing.

[RetiredArmy]

Offered to pay SOME of the costs? How the hell about PAYING THEM ALL you stupid fools. FREEDOM AIN'T FREE!

[Paul_Denton]

Icland has some of the hottest woman I ever seen.

[GOPJ]

True enough when the Soviet navy was a great threat and the Greenland-Iceland-UK line had to be under constant surveillance. But the threat is elsewhere these days.

Yep. And if things changed, we could be back in there in days...

[mortal19440]

What a shame, I will miss those great nights in the Brass Nut.

[bkepley]

-Iceland is located near vital sea lanes. Control Iceland, your well on your way to controling the north Atlantic.

You have to set your priorities based on actual threats and I don't see anyone threatening Iceland. If that changes, we can change too.

[LexBaird]

The obvious next pull out would be Germany.

The next obvious pull out should be the Balkans. Let the mighty EU pull their own weight in their own back yard. We've got expensive infrastructure in Germany that we would have to replace if we abandoned it.

[hershey]

Iceland could put out the welcome mat for Muslims, and we'd be back before you could say Jihad.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Beautiful Iceland:

More:

[em2vn]

Bad move. China will be glad to take our place.

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

They're saying, "But all our base are belong to you!"

[USS Alaska]

Who's going to attack Iceland? The country is a fricking island just below the Arctic Circle.

Caribou?

[50sDad]

Iceland's government, which had recently offered to pay some of the cost of its defense to try to keep U.S. forces here, said it regretted the decison.

Odd you folks only thought of it in order to keep us from bailing. Might have been a better bet to do it before push came to shove, eh?

[oceanview]

why are we doing this? we can't possibly be in need of such a small level of forces elsewhere?

[MBB1984]

Thanks for the picture!

[dighton]

Somehow I knew you'd show up here.

[oceanview]

1/4 billion a year to operate a couple of ships, helicopters, and fighters?

[RightWhale]

Iceland can let the Russians base their nuclear subs there. That ought to keep the peace in the North Atlantic.