US nuclear submarine docks in Iceland for first time

For the first time in history, a US Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine made a port call in Iceland on July 9 — a move that senior American officials say carries strategic importance amid rising tensions in the Arctic.

The Los Angeles-class USS Newport News docked in Reykjavik, marking an unprecedented visit to the Nordic nation as the US and NATO increasingly focus on growing Russian military activity across the Arctic and High North, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Adm. Stuart Munsch, commander of US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, told Business Insider that the port call "is also important for the strategic signal it sends to adversaries about our presence in the area" and for the reassurance it provides to US allies.

Munsch underscored the importance of having more regional port visit options for US submarines, calling it valuable in maintaining operational flexibility.

"It's important to us to have additional options for where we can make strong port calls," he said in a phone interview from Reykjavik, adding that the ability to access key locations between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom is essential. "The submarine force has been operating globally for many decades now," Munsch noted, "and there's really no region that we have ever ceded to anyone else."

Iceland, a founding member of NATO in 1949, has long been regarded by the US as a strategic outpost in the North Atlantic. While the country has no military of its own, it hosted a significant American military presence during the Cold War, including a major naval air base used to monitor Soviet — and later Russian — submarine movements.

"The US, for many decades, maintained a naval air base here," Munsch said, referencing the country's historical role in tracking adversary submarine activity.

The recent visit by USS Newport News, which was built in the late 1980s and remains a key asset in the Navy’s fast-attack fleet, marks a significant shift in military cooperation between Washington and Reykjavik. While the US Navy has worked with Iceland for years, interactions were largely limited to offshore support such as personnel transfers and resupply missions.

In 2023, a US nuclear-powered submarine entered Iceland’s territorial waters for the first time. But the Newport News docking this week — tied up at a pier and allowing crew to go ashore — represents a new level of engagement.

Erin Sawyer, chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Iceland, reinforced the broader geopolitical context of the visit, stating, "Washington and Reykjavik maintain the shared goal of low tension in the Arctic, with full awareness of Russia's efforts to build its military presence in the region."

The Pentagon’s 2024 Arctic Strategy highlights both Russia’s growing militarisation of the Arctic and China’s expanding interest in the region, underscoring why the US sees Iceland as vital to maintaining deterrence and regional stability.

With more than 40 Los Angeles-class submarines still in service, they remain a crucial component of the US Navy’s undersea dominance. While newer Virginia-class submarines are taking on a greater role, the USS Newport News — armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and torpedoes — continues to serve in missions worldwide.

"The submarine force has been operating globally for many decades now," Munsch emphasised. "And there's really no region that we have ever ceded to anyone else."

By Vugar Khalilov