The Swedish Armed Forces announced on Monday that they will participate in a NATO air defense operation in Iceland during February and March, contributing fighter aircraft and ground personnel to strengthen the alliance’s incident preparedness in the Arctic.
A fighter unit from the Skaraborg Air Flotilla (F 7) will deploy Jas 39 Gripen aircraft and assume responsibility for NATO’s joint air defense tasks. The deployment marks the first time the Skaraborg Air Flotilla has participated with a fighter unit in a NATO operation, though the unit has previously conducted airborne surveillance and combat control missions in Iceland under NATO leadership in 2024.
Vice Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, head of Sweden’s operations command, emphasized the strategic importance of the Arctic, stating, “The Arctic is part of our new NATO operational area and a strategically important area. It is an important piece of the puzzle in the defense of the alliance and we know that Russia has ambitions in the Arctic. The fact that we will now contribute to stability and security in the area shows that Sweden and the Armed Forces take responsibility for NATO’s joint air defense tasks.”
Sweden deploys fighter jets to Iceland as part of NATO Air Policing. #NATOhttps://t.co/GAqq8KDZC4 (in Swedish)
— Försvarsmakten (@Forsvarsmakten) January 19, 2026
Photo: Jesper Sundström/Försvarsmakten pic.twitter.com/bFO1CGLMy6
Since late 2025, Sweden has been included in NATO’s JFC Norfolk operational area, which spans from North America to the Finnish and Norwegian border with Russia and encompasses the Arctic as well as the critical transatlantic link connecting Europe and North America. Seven of the eight Arctic nations are NATO members, with Russia as the only non-member.
Major General Jonas Wikman, Chief of the Air Force, highlighted Sweden’s experience from prior NATO operations, including missions in Poland, saying, “Those operations showed that we have both the ability and capacity to operate under NATO leadership and contribute to NATO’s incident preparedness and airspace surveillance of allied airspace.”
Lieutenant Colonel Johan Legardt, contingent commander for the Skaraborg Air Flotilla, added, “The combat aviation unit is well equipped for the task and, just like the other units of the Air Force, we have extensive experience in incident preparedness. We are also used to operating in winter climates and have the conditions to act on the different types of threats that we may face when protecting the territorial integrity of Iceland.”
Swedish operations will be led by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany, under NATO’s Air Policing program, which has conducted airspace surveillance and incident preparedness in allied airspace since the early 1960s.
The deployment underscores Sweden’s growing role in NATO’s Arctic operations and the alliance’s broader focus on ensuring stability in regions increasingly contested by Russia.
