The first meeting of the newly created National Security Council of Iceland was held yesterday. Bjarni Benediktsson, prime minister and head of the council, says he is wary of the threat of terrorism that has been on display in neighboring countries recently.
The National Security Council was established by law last September. Its members are the prime minister, the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of justice in addition to ministry officials, two members of parliament, the Icelandic national police commissioner, director of the Coast Guard and a representative from the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (Landsbjörg).
No military and unarmed police
According to the Icelandic Natiional Broadcasting Service RÚV, the main purpose of the National Security Council is to implement the national security policy and assess potential threats.
Iceland has no military and the regular police force is unarmed. However, the country was a founding member of NATO in 1949. The US Navy operated a military base in Keflavík for decades before closing down in 2006. The Coast Guard patrols Icelandic territorial waters and runs a small fleet of ships, helicopters and planes, mainly used for search and rescue. The all-volunteer ICE-SAR performs one of the functions of a national guard, responding to natural disasters.
The first meeting of the newly created National Security Council of Iceland was held yesterday. Bjarni Benediktsson, prime minister and head of the council, says he is wary of the threat of terrorism that has been on display in neighboring countries recently.
The National Security Council was established by law last September. Its members are the prime minister, the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of justice in addition to ministry officials, two members of parliament, the Icelandic national police commissioner, director of the Coast Guard and a representative from the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (Landsbjörg).
No military and unarmed police
According to the Icelandic Natiional Broadcasting Service RÚV, the main purpose of the National Security Council is to implement the national security policy and assess potential threats.
Iceland has no military and the regular police force is unarmed. However, the country was a founding member of NATO in 1949. The US Navy operated a military base in Keflavík for decades before closing down in 2006. The Coast Guard patrols Icelandic territorial waters and runs a small fleet of ships, helicopters and planes, mainly used for search and rescue. The all-volunteer ICE-SAR performs one of the functions of a national guard, responding to natural disasters.
