Naval Air Station Keflavik
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- For the civil airport use of this facility, see Keflavík International Airport.
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United States Naval Air Station Keflavik (NASKEF) is a former NATO facility at Keflavík International Airport, Iceland. It was closed on 8 September 2006.
It was located on the Reykjanes peninsula on the south-west portion of the island. The major commands stationed on the base were Naval Air Station Keflavik, the United States Air Force's 85th Group, Fleet Air Keflavik, the Iceland Defense Force (NATO), NCTS Keflavik, and U.S. Naval Hospital Keflavik.
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[edit] History
[edit] World War II
The first US Military involvement in Iceland dates back to 1941, when United States Marines arrived after an agreement between the governments of Iceland, Great Britain and the United States.
After receiving independence from Denmark in 1918 with the signing of the 25-year Danish-Icelandic Act of Union, Iceland followed a policy of strict neutrality. In 1939, with war imminent in Europe, the German Reich pressed for landing rights for Lufthansa's aircraft for alleged trans-Atlantic flights. The Icelandic government turned them down.
A British request to establish bases in Iceland for the protection of the vital North Atlantic supply lines after German forces occupied Denmark and Norway in April 1940 also was turned down in accordance with the neutrality policy. Nevertheless the British government felt that it could not do without bases in Iceland and on 10 May 1940 the people of Reykjavík awoke to the sight of a British invasion force. The government of Iceland protested the invasion but asked the populace to treat the occupying force as guests.
Following talks between British Prime Minster Winston S. Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Iceland agreed to a tri-partite treaty under which the United States was to relieve the British garrison in Iceland on the condition that all military forces be withdrawn from Iceland immediately upon the conclusion of the war in Europe.
In addition to their defense role, US forces constructed the Keflavik Airport as a refueling point for aircraft deliveries and cargo flights to Europe. The host American military unit at Keflavík Airport were:
- 824th Engineering Battalion (Aviation) (February 1942 - 28 August 1943)
- 14th Det, North Atlantic Wing, Air Transport Command (28 August 1943 - 1 August 1944)
- 1386th Army Air Force Base Unit (1 August 1944 - 18 February 1946)
- Iceland Base Command (18 February 1946 - 24 March 1947)
The first runway was completed during September 1942, and by the spring of 1943 the airport became fully operational. All major construction, including four 6,500-ft runways were completed by July 1943. During its wartime use, the airfield served as refueling stopover for two-and four-engine aircraft on flights between U.S. and UK. At the peak of the Second World War, thousands of troops were stationed at Keflavík in temporary Quonset hut camps.
With the end of the war in Europe, Keflavik Airport became a transit point for aircraft returning from the European Theater of Operations to the United States. With American air activities drawn down in Europe in the immediate postwar months, U.S. flying operations phased down in preparation for transfer of the base to the Icelandic government at the end of 1946. With all noncritical surplus equipment and supplies disposed of, all U.S. air activity ended at the airfield on 11 March 1947.
[edit] Cold War
Another agreement signed between the United States and Iceland in 1946 permitted continued use of the base by the United States. The United States provided all the maintenance and operation of the airport through an American civilian contractor. American Overseas Airlines, followed by Airport Overseas Corporation personnel, operated the military portion of Keflavik Airport after its reversion to Icelandic control at the end of March 1947.
Iceland's charter membership in NATO in 1949 required neither the establishment of an Icelandic armed force, nor the stationing of foreign troops in the country during peacetime. However with the developing Cold War with the Soviet Union and growing world tensions caused Iceland's leaders to think otherwise. Icelandic officials decided that membership in the NATO alliance was not a sufficient defense and, at the request of NATO, entered into a defense agreement with the United States. This was the beginning of the Iceland Defense Force. Over the next four decades, the Defense Force was "at the front" of the Cold War and was credited with playing a significant role in deterrence.
On 25 May 1951 the United States Air Force reestablished a presence at Keflavik Airport with the establishment of the 1400th Air Base Group. The 1400th ABG would be the host USAF unit at Keflavik until the facility was turned over to the Navy in 1961. Operation of the airport was assumed by Military Air Transport Service (MATS).
During 1947-51, while the base was operated by a US civilian contractor company most of the World War II temporary structures were left empty and became badly deteriorated. The airfield complex, one of the largest in the world during World War II, also required upgrading to accommodate modern aircraft. The contractor company had extended one runway, constructed a new passenger terminal and hotel building, one aircraft hangar, a hospital, housing units and other facilities for the staff. But this was not sufficient for the new Defense Force, so additional facilities had to be provided quickly. A crash reconstruction program was initiated and temporary housing was erected during the construction of permanent housing. The airfield was extended and two new aircraft hangars were constructed. Most of this work was completed by 1957.
The United States Navy assumed the responsibility of running the air station from the US Air Force in 1961. The USAF then became a tenant organization at the airfield, with its Air/Aerospace Defense Command 85th Group using the facility for air surveillance of Iceland and the North Atlantic. Over 1,000 interceptions of Soviet aircraft took place inside Iceland's Military Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
On 1 October 1979 Tactical Air Command (TAC) absorbed ADC's assets, and the F-4Es of the 57th Fighter Intercceptor Squadron (57 FIS). In July 1985, F-15Cs and F-15Ds replaced the aging F-4s, and the tail code "IS" was assigned to Air Forces Iceland (AFI).
During the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, Keflavik also hosted rotational E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft from CONUS and rotational HC-130 Hercules aircraft from RAF Bentwaters to support Keflavik-based HH-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters.
On 1 June 1992, Air Combat Command (ACC) assumed command and control of AFI and the 57th FIS. Less than a year later, the 57th FIS was redesignated as the 57th Fighter Squadron and reassigned to the 35th Wing that was transferred from the closing George AFB, California.
On 1 October 1994, the 35th Wing was inactivated and replaced by the newly-activated 85th Wing. On 1 March 1995, the 57th FS was deactivated and the interceptor force was replaced by Regular Air Force and Air National Guard F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft rotating every 90 days to Iceland until the USAF deactivated the 85th Group in 2002. United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) took over ACC responsibilities at Keflavik on 1 October 2002 as part of a larger restructuring of the unified commands.
NAS Keflavik was the host command for the NATO Base in Iceland. There were more than 25 different commands of various sizes and personnel from the Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army in Iceland. Also present were representatives from Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark. One of the largest commands was Naval Air Station (NAS) Keflavik, which was responsible for providing all support facilities, including the runways, housing, supply and recreational facilities.
The primary mission of Naval Air Station Keflavik was to maintain and operate facilities and provide services and material to support operations of aviation activities and units of the operating forces of the Navy and other activities and units, as designated by the Chief of Naval Operations.
U.S. Navy use of the facility allowed the housing of rotational P-3 Orion squadrons, aircraft, flight crews, maintenance and administrative support personnel from their CONUS home bases for six-month deployments in support of anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol missions until 2004. As a NATO mission, the U.S. Navy P-3s were frequently augmented by Navy Reserve P-3 squadrons and detachments of Canadian Forces CP-140 Aurora, Royal Netherlands Navy P-3, German Navy Breguet Atlantique and Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft.
Army National Guard units and Interim Marine Security Forces stormed the lava fields surrounding the base during training exercises such as Northern Viking.
NAS Keflavik employed approximately 900 Icelandic civilians who worked with military personnel which provided the services necessary to operate the base. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the airfield was available for maritime patrol activities, air defense and for transiting aircraft between North America and Europe, in addition to supporting Iceland's international civilian aviation.
The NATO base did not have a Status of Forces Agreement with the Icelandic Government. The base offered a wide variety of recreational services which included bowling, swimming, gymnasium, theater, social clubs, Wendy's restaurant, and hobby centers. Other services included a base exchange, commissary, bank, hospital, beauty shop, tour office and morale flights. Golfing was available in a nearby community.
The American base staff had their own names for various places in Iceland, e.g. "Kef" for Keflavík and "Hurdygurdy" for Hveragerði.
[edit] Deactivation
On 15 March 2006, the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland announced that the United States had decided to substantially reduce the size of the Iceland Defense Force.
During a six-month transition to reduce the military presence in Iceland, most facilities had closed and most of the service members had gone, leaving behind a core team of active duty and Reserve personnel to finish the job.
By mid-July, 2006, many of the military spouses and part-time military active duty staff had transferred.
On 8 September 2006, NASKEF's last commanding officer, CAPT Mark S. Laughton, presided over a ceremony effecting the disestablishment of the air station. [1](Gone since Sept. 30, 2006)
[edit] Operational USAAF/USAF Units at Keflavik Airport/NAS Keflavik
- 342d Composite Group (11 Sep 1942 - 18 Mar 1944)
- 33d Fighter Sq (P-39D, P-40C/K, P-47D)
- 50th Fighter Sq (P-39D, P-40C/K, P-47D, B-18)
- 337th Fighter Sq (P-38) (11 Sep - 26 Nov 1942)
- 131st Fighter-Bomber Group (TAC) (Federalized Missouri Air National Guard)
- 192d Fighter-Bmbr Sq 1 Sep 1952 - 1 Dec 1952 (F-51D/H)
- 479th Fighter-Bomber Group (TAC) (Deployed from George AFB, California)
- 435th Ftr-Bmbr Sq 1 Dec 1952 - 27 Mar 1953 (F-51D/H)
- 436th Ftr-Bmbr Sq 1 Dec 1952 - 2 Dec 1953 (F-51D/H)
- 82d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (Air Defense Command)
Flew F-94B Starfires (1953-1954)
- 57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Flew F-89C Scorpions (1954-1962) (Air Defense Command)
Flew F-102A/B Delta Daggers (1962-1973) (Air/Aerospace Defense Command)
Flew McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom IIs (1973-1979) (Aerospace Defense Command)
Flew McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom IIs (1979-1985) (Tactical Air Command/Air Forces Iceland)
Flew McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle (1985-1992) (Tactical Air Command/Air Forces Iceland)
Flew McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle (1992-1993) (Air Combat Command)
Flew McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle (1993-1994) (Air Combat Command) (Assigned to 35th Wing)
Flew McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle (1994-1995) (United States Air Forces in Europe) (Assigned to 86th Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany)
- 85th Group (1995-2006) (United States Air Forces in Europe)
Rotated F-15 squadrons from ACC, ANG and USAFE for 90-day deployments.
5 Sikorsky HH-60G Pavehawk helicopters permanently assigned until 2006
Notes:
- 342d Composite Group served as part of the island's defense force, intercepting and destroying some of the German planes that on occasion attempted to attack Iceland or that appeared in that area on reconnaissance missions. Also conducted antisubmarine patrols in the North Atlantic and provided cover for convoys on the run to Murmansk. Disbanded on 18 March 1944.
- Facility was referred to by USAF as Keflavik Airport prior to Air Forces Iceland changing from host to tenant status on 1 July 1961, when the U.S. Navy gained jurisdiction. The facility was renamed U.S. Naval Station Keflavik, and Keflavik Airport became one of its tenants.
- The USAF 85th Group was the operational arm of Air Forces Iceland since November 1954. The 85th was upgraded to the 85th Wing on 1 October 1994 then returned to group status 1 July 1995. The group controlled the 57th FIS and later the 56th Rescue Squadron. The 85th Group was inactivated and replaced by the 35th Wing in 1993, then was reactivated and replaced the 35th Wing in 1994. The unit was realigned under USAFE in October 2002 as part of a larger restructuring of the unified commands.
- Aircraft of the 57th FIS carried a black/white check tail fin flash. F-15C/Ds also carried the tail code "IS".
[edit] See also
- Keflavík International Airport
- Aerospace Defense Command
- Tactical Air Command
- Air Combat Command
- United States Air Forces in Europe
[edit] References
- Baugher, Joe. USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present. USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
- Donald, David, "Century Jets - USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War".
- Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
- Fletcher, Harry R., Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
- Hill, Mike and Campbell, John, Tactical Air Command - An Illustrated History 1946-1992, 2001
- Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978, 2005
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
- Official Navy disestablishment press release
[edit] External links
- Archived NAS Keflavik website provided by the Internet Archive
- Reports on the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2006: [2] [3] [4] (in Icelandic)
