Politico: For the first time in decades, NATO allies carried out “North Viking” submarine-tracking drills in waters around Iceland without the presence of U.S. ships or aircraft; while European and Canadian forces took the lead role in ensuring the security of the North Atlantic Ocean.

German reconnaissance aircraft, Canadian warships, and Belgian fighter jets, under French command, took part in these drills. The United States continued to be involved in planning and infrastructure work in Keflavík, but did not participate directly in the exercise.

The drills focused on the important strategic gap GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom)—a key passage that Russian nuclear submarines use to move from their bases in the Kola Peninsula toward the Atlantic Ocean.