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U.S. Forces Leaving Iceland, Army Closing Luxembourg Site

17 March 2006

Shifts in Europe are part of multiyear plan to reposition U.S. troops worldwide

By Vince Crawley
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The United States has notified Iceland of plans to remove U.S. forces from the North Atlantic island nation by the end of September, and the Defense Department announced its departure from a storage site in Luxembourg.

Both moves are part of a regional and global repositioning of U.S. forces. Several thousand U.S. troops also are departing Germany in 2006, but small operating bases and outposts are being opened in Romania, Bulgaria and elsewhere to reflect changes in global threats. (See related article.)

The decision to withdraw permanently based U.S. troops from Iceland was recommended by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and approved by President Bush, White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters during the March 17 press briefing. (See related article.)

The Iceland announcement will mean the departure of approximately 2,800 Americans currently assigned to or accompanying personnel at Naval Air Station Keflavik. About 600 Icelandic workers also are affected by the U.S. departure.

However, officials stressed that the United States will continue to honor its 1951 defense agreement with Iceland, which has no armed forces of its own. Iceland is also a NATO member and is protected by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which says an attack on any NATO nation is considered an attack on all 26 member nations. U.S. officials plan to meet soon with Icelandic officials to discuss the future of the U.S.-Icelandic military relationship.

“We look forward to early talks with the government of Iceland on the best means of modernizing our security cooperation,” McClellan said. “We also look forward to strengthening our cooperation with Iceland against such emerging threats as terrorism, trafficking and international crime.”

On March 15, Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns and Ambassador Carol van Voorst formally notified Iceland Prime Minister Halldor Asgrimsson and Foreign Minister Geir Haarde of the decision, according to the American Forces Press Service.

“Yesterday we informed the government of Iceland that we intend to end this permanent stationing by the end of September 2006,” Mark Pekala, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said in a March 16 statement. “After that time, we do not expect to have a significant military presence in Iceland.”

Keflavik has been home to about 1,200 active-duty Air Force and Navy personnel, as well as four F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft. The United States spends about $260 million each year to maintain its military presence in Iceland. U.S. forces have been stationed on Iceland in large numbers since World War II. During the Cold War, the country’s strategic location allowed U.S. naval vessels and aircraft to patrol the North Atlantic for Soviet military activity.

In a separate announcement, the Defense Department said March 17 that it plans to cease operations at the Army Prepositioned Site at Bettembourg, Luxembourg, by the end of September.

The facility is no longer needed “due to U.S. European Command force-structure realignment” which has resulted in the need for less storage space for military materiel, the department said in a news release. It did not say how many workers would be affected by the closure. The facility has no major military units assigned to it, and closing it is expected to save $24.8 million each year.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)