QuickCheck: Does Iceland really have no army?

IN A world where military power often defines a nation’s strength, Iceland stands as an intriguing exception.

Despite its small size and population, this island nation has opted out of maintaining a traditional military force.

Could it be true that Iceland, a member of NATO, has no standing army?

Verdict:

TRUE

Occupying merely 103,000sq km, Iceland is known to be one of the world’s tiniest island nations.

Interestingly, studies discovered that some 11% of its land surface is covered by glaciers.

Based on statistics from the World Bank, Iceland has a small population of about 393,600, a stark contrast to Malaysia’s 34.3mil.

That aside, did you know that Iceland has no armed forces?

While Iceland does not have a standing army, it does have a coast guard service that is made up of 200 officers and four patrol vessels.

Low population density and high cost of maintenance are the two main factors contributing to the absence of a standing army on the island.

This also makes Iceland the only NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) member without a military.

The Icelandic Coast Guard and Icelandic Crisis Response Unit are among the teams used by Iceland’s government to ensure security.

Back in the 1940s during World War II, Iceland was occupied by the UK and the US, as a protection against Nazi Germany.

And the American troops had remained stationed on the island until 2006.

But today, the US army is still responsible for protecting Iceland.