According to a declassified 2020 fiscal budget report from the US Department of Defense, the US military plans to spend some $57 million USD on the Keflavík Naval Base. This will include some $18 million towards upgrading the airfield’s “dangerous cargo pad”, a paved area for the loading and unloading of explosives and other hazardous cargo; $7 million USD for beddown site prep, referring to launching areas for military aircraft; and the remaining $32 million USD to expand the parking apron, the area where military aircraft are parked when not preparing for take-off. All of this gives a fairly reasonable assumption that the US military is aiming to ramp up combat readiness at the base. This, along with Parliament’s current budget proposals, have raised criticisms from within Iceland’s legislature.
- The Rekjavík Grapevine -