Evening star., 1951-05-13
Troops in Iceland Plug Hole in Defense
Air Facilities
Needed to Weld
Northern Are
By Harry Lever

1
American troops in Iceland
means that the United States
finally has plugged" the last
hole in its northern defense line
against Russia.
1t also amounts to full pro-
lection Of Americas Atlantic
defense supply line. as well as
substantially bulwarking the
recently organized Northeast
Command Of the United States
Air Force.
! Thus the overall purpose Of
this small airborne troop move
ment, made at Iceland'S request,
is rs important and possibly
more so than the one carried
out at the start Of World War
II, when American and British
forces moved into the bleak. J
barren sub-Arctic country.
Iceland is . member of the
North Atlantic Defense Organ
ization and signed the defense
treaty. She asked for the troops
because she has no armed forces
Of her own. It would not have
been Iceland's desire. but even
tually 1t might have been q
question of who got there first
the United States or Russia.
Location IL Strategic
The value of Iceland. in addi-
ton to its military Importance.
lies in its strategic location as q
maintenance and repair point,
and = refueling stop. for trans
Atlantic aircraft.
It Is 1925 miles from Berlin;
1000 from Moscow; 1.100 from
Oslo, Norway; 1900 from Goose
Bay, Laborador. where the
United States has q big airbase,
and 1925 miles from Fort Pep
perrell Air Force Base, New
foundland.
For the past three years. the
Europe bound aircraft of the
Military Air Transport Service
have been using Iceland's Ke-
flavik Airport, on the islands
southwestern shore. This is the
halfway point on MATS short
er route between Harmon Air
Force Base. Stephenville. New
foundland, and Rhein Main Air
Force Base, Frankfurt, Ger
many, focal point of European
military air transport.
Base to Be Improved
It has been disclosed that
with arrival of the troops, i'm
provements at Kefiavik Airport
Immediately will get under way.
probably under supervision of
MATS. For one thing, the main
runway and taxi-strips. occa-
sionally puddle-ridden, will be
repaired and possibly even re-
placed. Communications and
air weather facilities will be en-
larged. Already a new terminal
building, built with United
States funds. provides the
nucleus Of an international air.
port. It houses two American
airlines, one French, one Brit
ish, two Icelandic. and feeder
airline to Reykjavik. the capital.
Presence of the troops, and
the contemplated construction.
will mean more prosperity to
the people, even though there is
little or no unemployment in
Iceland, because of its fishing
and other industries. The peo-
pie are a hardy race. The coun-
try is an island of volcanic
origin, with many geysers and
hot springs that are used to
heat homes and Offices. The
Icelandic Althing is the oldest
parliamentary assembly in the
world and the country's Ian
guage has maintained its purity
for more than 1000 years. Dam
ish is widely spoken and there
is no illiteracy.
Although just outside the
eastern geographical boundary
of the Northeast Command, the
greater degree of freedom
which now will be permitted
the United States in Iceland,
plus additional communications,
air weather and supply facili-
ties, will aid considerably the
strategic and general operation
Of the command.
Operation Secret
This great network of i'm
portant bases, and outposts
which easily could become bases,
is comparatively unknown to
the genersl public. For several
years the formation of this de-
fense area in the Arctic and
sub-Arctic was shrouded in
secrecy, and some of 1t still is.
The Air Forces Northeast
Command. founded only about
six months ago, succeeded the
Newfoundland Base Command.
and has headquarters at Fort
Pepperell in East-Central New
foQndland. Much Of the COM
mand is above the Arctic Circle.
1t roughly encompasses an area
including Nova Scotia, Green
land, Ellesmere, Victoria and
other islands in Canada's
Northwest Territory, and a
great part Of the Hudson Bay