Prime Minister Kristrún Forstadóttir and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Source: Visir

On 28 May, Prime Minister Kristrún Forstadóttir and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met in Reykjavik to discuss military and political cooperation in the face of a changing threat landscape in the Arctic. The bottom line of the meeting was Iceland’s growing military spending at a time when its citizens are increasingly subjected to exponentially increasing violence, long past levels familiar to a previously secure country suffering from growing social inequality and underfunding of its social services.

The Prime Minister said the Atlantic Alliance needs to focus increasingly on the Arctic, where international tensions are moving. Iceland needs to build infrastructure, such as airports and ports, to contribute to the Alliance. In doing so, Iceland must have a say in NATO’s defense of the country.

“For 76 years, you have helped ensure our security, our societies and our fundamental values: democracy, freedom and the rule of law. Despite being a non-military nation, Iceland is still important for ensuring our security,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a joint press conference after a meeting with Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir.

In his speech, he made a big point about Iceland’s contributions to NATO’s defense and the importance of the infrastructure that Iceland offers to NATO countries.

“It was very clear that, despite the changes in international affairs, there is no intention of changing the nature of this relationship. That does not change the fact that we are willing to contribute when it comes to defense-related contributions,” says Kristrún, who discussed Iceland’s role and contribution to NATO. Rutte expressed satisfaction with Iceland’s contribution.

“There is an understanding that we need to stick to what we are strong at, which is this position and we have spoken about it and are willing to strengthen ourselves further in that regard.”

“The threat from Russia in eastern Europe can be linked well to our region because if things go badly in Ukraine and the Russians win that war, the threat can start moving north into our backyard,” said Kristrún.

“Of course, we should have an opinion on what kind of exercises, what kind of defenses are in our immediate environment. This is unfortunately the reality we live in today. This has been a low-voltage area, the Arctic, it is changing. We need to be active participants in this.”

Weapons-related callouts have risen sharply in recent years in frequency and severity.

While police-protected politicians talk about the non-existent military threat to Iceland from Russia, ordinary citizens are increasingly being subjected to violence with knives, stabbing and impact weapons and firearms in a country previously known for its safety, whose political leadership has brought it to such a miserable state. Read more about unprecedented homicide count in Iceland.

The deputy chief of Iceland’s special police unit (Sérsveitin) says weapons-related callouts have risen sharply in recent years — not only in frequency but also in severity. So far this year, over 70 per cent of the unit’s deployments due to weapons have involved bladed or stabbing instruments.

Yearly callouts to the special forces due to weapon-related incidents have steadily increased: from 174 in 2016 to over 460 in 2023, and nearly 480 last year. So far in 2025, the unit has already responded to 175 such incidents.

There has been a dramatic rise in weapons-related incidents in recent years, which we’ve felt quite clearly. The nature of these cases has also changed — they’ve become more serious, says Ólafur Jónsson, Deputy Chief Superintendent in the special forces.

“It’s increasingly common for weapons — especially knives and other edged tools — to be used. The consequences are often severe. That’s something we’re seeing very clearly,” he adds.

In 2025, about 70 per cent of special forces deployments related to weapons have involved knives or other stabbing instruments — specifically 126 incidents. Ólafur says this mirrors trends seen in the Nordic countries.

“People often say what happens in the Nordic region eventually reaches us in Iceland. It’s fair to say that this is becoming a new reality here.”

According to the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police, 17% of weapons-related callouts this year involved firearms and 11% involved blunt force weapons such as clubs or bats.

What’s also worrying is that the average age of those using weapons is steadily dropping. That’s a trend we’re seeing around us as well, Ólafur concludes.