In Iceland's Defence

Iceland is an island of great beauty and even greater strategic importance. Its position in the Greenland Iceland UK Gap, the gateway between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, makes it crucial to Nato operations in the High North. But Iceland is one of the few nations in the world with no military of its own. A country of approximately 400,000 people, its security relies on the umbrella of protection it derives from being a founding member of NATO, a bilateral agreement with the United States signed in 1951 and a highly skilled coast guard and police force. In a climate of fracturing political alliances, is entrusting national defence so heavily on the guarantees of allies a sustainable strategy? Sandra Kanthal travelled to Reykjavik to find out. Produced and presented by Sandra Kanthal Studio mix: Neil Churchill Production coordinator: Katie Morrison Series editor: Penny Murphy

You can listen to In Iceland's Defence online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

In Iceland's Defence is an episode from Crossing Continents by BBC.

This episode is 35:54 long.

This episode was published on Apr 21, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Crossing Continents when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.