From the American side, it has been communicated that the submarines in question would not carry nuclear weapons, nor are they equipped to do so. This policy has been reiterated by the Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs in a note to the US Government. Without nuclear weaponsĪ condition for the authorization of US submarine visits is that they will not carry nuclear weapons, emphasizes the Icelandic government – and points to the country's security policy of no nuclear weapons on Icelandic territories. This will likely happen in connection with the NATO exercise Dynamic Mongoose, which started on Monday (only in Norwegian). This is the alliance's annual anti-submarine exercise in the High North – of which Iceland has the role of primary host nation this year. ![]() The first submarine will visit in the near future and will be serviced just outside the coast rather than making a port call, it is reported. The frequency of visits will depend on the need at any given time," writes the government. "These service visits will contribute to strengthening the continuous and active submarine surveillance of allied countries, which ensures better situational awareness and increases the safety of underwater infrastructure such as submarine cables in the waters around Iceland. The background is that Iceland wants to support increased surveillance and response capacity among allies in the North Atlantic. It coincided with talks between the US and South Korea aimed at coordinating responses in the event of a nuclear conflict with North Korea.American nuclear-powered submarines will now receive authorization to make brief service visits to Iceland to receive supplies and exchange crew members, announced the Icelandic government last week. The USS Kentucky's docking in South Korea the previous week marked the first visit of a US nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to South Korea since the 1980s. In September last year, the USS Annapolis had participated in trilateral anti-submarine exercises with South Korea and Japan in international waters off the Korean Peninsula. The USS Annapolis, while powered by a nuclear reactor, is not nuclear-armed and is equipped with conventional weapons. Its primary mission is to destroy enemy ships and submarines. ![]() First US nuclear-armed sub visit since 1980s ![]() The defense minister of North Korea even made veiled threats, suggesting the possibility of using a nuclear weapon in response to the submarine's docking. ![]() North Korea responded to the arrival of the USS Kentucky with the test-firing of ballistic and cruise missiles. North Korea issues threatsĮarlier, the USS Kentucky had arrived at a port in Busan on the mainland about a week ago. The move is seen as a part of the two allies joint effort to counter North Korea's nuclear threats. The USS Annapolis docked at a naval base on South Korea's southern island of Jeju to load military supplies as part of an unspecified operational mission, the South Korean navy said. A second US submarine arrived in South Korea on Monday, following the recent deployment of the first US nuclear-armed submarine in the country in four decades.
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