US Congressional Delegation Visited Iceland for Talks on Arctic Security

Medlemmer av etterretningskomiteen i Representantenes hus, Rick Crawford, French Hill, Ann Wagner og Pat Fallon, i møte med statssekretær Martin Eyjólfsson og andre representanter i Islands utenriksministerium.

Members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rick Crawford, French Hill, Ann Wagner and Pat Fallon, together with Permanent Secretary Martin Eyjólfsson and other representatives of the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Icelandic MFA

Over the past few days, ten members of Congress have visited Iceland to discuss security and cooperation in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. “The visit reflects our close security and defense cooperation with the United States,” says the Icelandic foreign minister.

Astri Edvardsen Astri Edvardsen Journalist

Published 16 June 2026 - 16:00 Modified 16 June 2026 - 16:00

The congressional delegation group visited Iceland from June 12 to 15. They are members of two key committees in the House of Representatives: the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

In Reykjavík, they met with Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and officials in the security and defense sectors, the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs.

The meetings included discussions on security issues in the Arctic, Iceland's new security and defense policy, issues related to information exchange and analysis capabilities, as well as the significance of the GIUK Gap for North Atlantic security and US homeland defense.

The GIUK gap is two strategically important stretches in the ocean areas between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK.

"Underscores Iceland’s growing importance"

“This visit reflects our close security and defense cooperation with the United States, and underscores Iceland’s growing importance in the changing security environment in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” says Foreign Minister Gunnarsdóttir (Reform Party) and continues:

“We are in close and active consultation with the United States on these issues as well as other issues of common interest, which are based on decades of close cooperation.”

The Congress members also visited Keflavík Air Force Station, and were briefed on the operations and development of defense-related infrastructure there.

The delegation included the following members of the Intelligence Committee: Rick Crawford (Chair), Ann Wagner, French Hill, and Pat Fallon. Attending from the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee were Ken Calvert (Chair), Betty McCollum, Ronny Jackson, Jefferson Shreve, Ed Case, and Steve Womack.