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| Iceland Crisis Response Unit | |
|---|---|
| Íslenska friðargæslan | |
| Active | 1990s – present |
| Country |  Iceland |
| Role | Peacekeeping |
| Size |
|
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Prime Minister | Katrín Jakobsdóttir |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | Bjarni Benediktsson |
| Notable commanders | Colonel Arnór Sigurjónsson Colonel Halli Sigurðsson Col. Gunnar Friðriksson |
The Iceland Crisis Response Unit (ICRU; Icelandic: Íslenska friðargæslan) is an Icelandic para-military unit with a capacity roster of up to 200 people, of whom about 30 are active at any given time. It is operated by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[1] It is primarily designated for peacekeeping operations and was established in the 1990s to participate in operations and peacekeeping projects, including in support of NATO peacekeeping operations. That role later evolved into providing an appropriate forum for deploying personnel within other organizations such as with OSCE field missions as well as with UN DPKO, and organizations such as UNIFEM, UNRWA and UNICEF.
The ICRU personnel has been deployed to the former territories of Yugoslavia, Kosovo and Afghanistan through NATO missions and UNIFEM and to the Middle East and North Africa with UNICEF, UNRWA and UNHCR. It had a civilian observer mission in Sri Lanka in co-operation with Norway (previously a Nordic mission) and has explosive ordnance disposal personnel from the Icelandic Coast Guard to Lebanon and Iraq.
Iceland deployed its first peacekeepers in 1950, when two Icelandic police officers were sent to Palestine as a part of an UN peacekeeping operation. Though many Icelandic specialists have taken part in various peacekeeping operations since, mostly within the UN and its organizations but also within NATO, it was not until the 1990s that organized participation in peacekeeping operations was initiated, formalized with the establishment of the ICRU in 2001.
In 2008, a portion of uniformed ICRU deployed personnel still armed for self-defense returned their weapons and changed to civilian clothing. The policy since 2008, is that, unless under special circumstances, ICRU personnel do not wear uniforms or carry weapons.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Iceland oversees the roster and deployment of personnel.[2]
- ^ "Iceland Crisis Response Unit: Annual report 2007" (PDF). Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 2008. ISSN 1670-7974. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "Friður, öryggi og þróun | Íslenska friðargæslan | Þróunarsamvinna | Málefni". Utanríkisráðuneyti. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-10-16.