Sweden will participate in NATO's incident readiness in Iceland as part of the air defence in the Arctic region during February and March. This was reported by the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) in a publication on 19 January 2026.
According to the Swedish Armed Forces, the Air Force will participate with a fighter unit equipped with JAS 39 Gripen aircraft and will take responsibility for NATO's joint air defence tasks. A fighter unit equivalent to a fighter squadron, with ground personnel from Skaraborg Air Wing (F 7), will be based at Keflavík Air Base in Iceland.
The Swedish Armed Forces state that the Arctic is part of Sweden's new operational area in NATO, JFC Norfolk, which includes the Arctic and the transatlantic link between North America and Europe.
– "The Arctic is part of our new operational area in NATO and a strategically important region. It is a crucial piece in the defence of the alliance, and we know that Russia has ambitions in the Arctic. Our contribution to stability and security in the area demonstrates that Sweden and the Swedish Armed Forces take responsibility for NATO's joint air defence tasks," says Vice Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, Chief of Operations, in the cited source.
The Swedish Armed Forces note that this is the first time Skaraborg Air Wing participates with a fighter unit in a NATO operation. The Swedish fighter aircraft and command will be directed by NATO's air operations centre, Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany. The Swedish Armed Forces state that NATO's airspace surveillance and incident readiness is referred to as Air Policing.