Canada and Iceland expand coast guard cooperation after Reykjavík summit
A new cooperation plan covers joint exercises, maritime awareness, climate resilience and Arctic operations.
The Canadian Coast Guard and Icelandic Coast Guard have signed a cooperation plan covering training, information sharing and operations in the North Atlantic and Arctic.
The plan was signed during a North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum summit in Reykjavík. It calls for joint training and exercises, improved maritime awareness, work on climate resilience and decarbonization, and exchanges of best practices for Arctic operations and security.
The agreement builds on a letter of intent signed in December 2025. Canada is also scheduled to chair the North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum from 2029 to 2031.
The announcement sets a framework for cooperation; it does not identify a new vessel purchase, permanent deployment or immediate operational mission.
Source: Government of Canada announcement, published October 22, 2026.
Illustrative Canadian Coast Guard photo: geekgunda / Unsplash licence. Cropped and resized.
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