Icelandic Crisis Response Unit

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Icelandic Crisis Response Unit Mobile Observation Team in Afghanistan.

Icelandic Crisis Response Unit in Afghanistan.

Icelandic Crisis Response Unit in training.

The Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (ICRU) or Íslenska Friðargæslan, is an 80-person military unit, with a civilian element, operated by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is primarily designated for peacekeeping operations and has been on peacekeeping operations in former territories of Yugoslavia, Kosovo and Afghanistan and has an observer mission in Sri Lanka. It was established in the 1990s to improve the status of Iceland within NATO as it lacked armed forces to support NATO peacekeeping operations.

Iceland sent its first peacekeepers in 1950, when two Icelandic policemen were sent to Palestine as a part of an UN peacekeeping operation. Since then Icelandic specialists have taken part in various peacekeeping operations, mostly within the UN, but also within NATO, since the establishment of the Crisis Unit.

The majority of those under the colours of the ICRU are Icelandic policemen, Coast Guardsmen and others already with paramilitary or (foreign-)military training. They are augmented with specialist civilians such as doctors and medics who receive basic military training in Norway.

The Icelandic Intelligence Service (IIS-NATO) supplies the ICRU with intelligence, independent of the intelligence services of allied countries, the IIS is under the command of the Sheriff of Keflavík International Airport.

The missions of the ICRU are not all of military nature. The observer mission in Sri Lanka is unarmed civilian operation, in which the ICRU is cooperating with Norwegian observers.

The missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan are however of military nature, which has resulted in much anger with Icelandic Socialist, Communist and other leftist politicians who have long prided themselves on their country's lack of defences.

1 Hand Weapons
2 Ranks of the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit
- 2.1 Officers
- 2.2 Enlisted
3 Sources
4 See also

[edit] Hand Weapons

[edit] Ranks of the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit

[edit] Officers

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF-D-	Student Officer
Iceland	No Equivalent	No Equivalent	No Equivalent	No Equivalent	NoEquivalent							No Equivalent	No Equivalent
Ranks						Ofursti (Colonel)	Undirofursti (Lt. Col.)	Majór (Major)	Kafteinn (Captain)	Liðsforingi (1st Lt.)	Undirliðsforingi (2nd Lt)

[edit] Enlisted

NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4		OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Iceland						No Equivalent	No Equivalent	No Equivalent	No Equivalent	No Equivalent																No Equivalent	No Equivalent
Ranks											Flokksstjóri 1. (Mstr. Sgt.)						Flokksstjóri 2. (Sergeant)						Korporáll (Corporal)										óbreyttur (Private)