Ramstein, Germany; August 2026: The Belgian Air Force formally assumed the Icelandic Air Defence responsibilities at Keflavik Air Base, outside the capital of Reykjavík, on August 17, 2026, bolstering NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) Arctic Sentry.
The Belgian detachment includes deployed personnel and F-16 Fighting Falcons. The detachment arrived in Iceland on August 07th and will remain for a month-long deployment. Allied Air Command continues to strengthen NATO’s Air Defence umbrella with a multi-layered, 360-degree approach.
“Belgian F-16s have touched down in Iceland once again to help safeguard NATO's airspace”, said the Belgian Icelandic Air Defence detachment commander, Belgian Senior Captain Glenn Hanssen. “During this month-long deployment, they will strengthen NATO's Arctic air defence and contribute to the Alliance's collective security”.
In a larger sense – following the recent deployment in Lithuania, Estonia, and Romania early this August – this deployment marks NATO Allied Air Command’s new unified approach to Air Defence. Under the Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) framework, Air Policing will be subsumed under NATO’s a comprehensive Air Defence posture.
"The Belgian Air Force’s assumption of this vital mission in Iceland marks a significant move to a single Integrated Air and Missile Defence posture”, said German Major General Frank Gräfe, Chief of Staff for NATO Allied Air Command. “Allied Air Command continues to strengthen NATO’s Air Defence umbrella with a multi-layered, 360-degree approach involving assets and capabilities across all operational domains, to address emerging and future threats – whether crewed or uncrewed, aircraft or other”.
NATO’s Air Policing mission began in 1961 when the Alliance established a standing peacetime capability to safeguard the integrity and security of NATO airspace. NATO’s Icelandic Air Policing mission formally began in 2008 at Keflavik Air Base, and NATO has since maintained overwatch and interception capabilities there by deploying fighter aircraft on a rotational basis. Working closely with the Icelandic Coast Guard, Allied nations ensure a ready and robust posture in the Arctic.
Operating continuously, after the activation of eVA Eastern Sentry last September, the mission has evolved alongside the changing security environment to address emerging and future threats, combining national surveillance, Command and Control (C2) and fighter aircraft held at readiness under NATO-controlled arrangements with Allies.
While Air Policing primarily was more oriented to protect against manned and unmanned aircraft in the air, the Air Defence framework, entailing a multi-layered, 360-degree approach, protects NATO territory against the whole range of threats across all domains, providing NATO greater flexibility to respond to changes in the security environment.
Team Maverick.
