NATO Holds Northern Viking Drill Off Iceland Without US Forces

NATO allies completed the annual Northern Viking exercise off the coast of Iceland in August, marking the first time in decades the drills took place without US warships or combat aircraft, according to Politico. Commanded by a French officer, the anti-submarine exercise involved Canadian warships, German surveillance aircraft, and Belgian fighter jets tracking Russian submarine routes from the Kola Peninsula into the Atlantic. While US military engineers continue construction at Keflavik Airport and assisted in planning, European officials framed the drill as proof that Europe can secure the North Atlantic independently.