69.9 Million-Dollar American Embassy
During U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter’s time as Ambassador of Iceland, he managed to complete a new 69.9 million-dollar American Embassy that served as a platform for U.S.-Icelandic relations. The Nordic-inspired design for the American Embassy strengthened friendship and helped maintain a crucial relationship with Iceland. The U.S Embassy in Reykjavik will continue to be used by many more Ambassadors in the years to come. Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter completing this Embassy would mean the beginning of a new chapter that focuses on strengthening the bond between America and Iceland.
In a display of our enduring friendship and important partnership with the Republic of Iceland, Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter dedicated the new U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik on October 20, 2020. The new Embassy provides a platform for U.S. diplomacy in Iceland and the Nordic Region. The U.S. Government has retained a local landmark, prevented the diversion of demolition waste into local landfills, and created an Embassy that truly embodies the partnership between Iceland and the United States of America.
The new Embassy draws support from other U.S. government agencies in the region. Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter worked very closely with other agencies in order to coordinate with the rest of the staff at the Embassy in Reykjavik. The new Embassy provides safety, security, and resilience that represent the U.S. Government to the Icelandic nation and supports U.S. diplomats in advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives abroad.
- Trade: The Economic/Commercial Section of the Embassy collaborates closely with regional colleagues from the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture headquartered in Embassy Stockholm and Embassy The Hague, respectively, as well as the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington.
- Environment, Science, and Technology: The Economic/Commercial Section also works with the State Department’s regional Environment, Science, and Technology officer in Copenhagen, as well as scientific organizations in Washington, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, and NASA.
- Defense: The US remains committed to upholding the bilateral defense pact with Iceland. Since 2005, the Defense Attaché at the United States Embassy in Oslo has been accredited to the Government of Iceland, providing expertise on military arrangements, operations, and assistance to Embassy Reykjavik in support of efforts to transform US-Iceland security cooperation to face emerging 21st-century threats like terrorism and human trafficking. To support continued efforts to improve security cooperation, an Assistant Defense Attaché reporting to the Attaché in Oslo was sent to the Embassy in 2007.
- Law Enforcement and Counterterrorism: The US remains committed to upholding the bilateral defense pact with Iceland. Since 2005, the Defense Attaché at the United States Embassy in Oslo has been accredited to the Government of Iceland, providing expertise on military arrangements, operations, and assistance to Embassy Reykjavik in support of efforts to transform US-Iceland security cooperation to face emerging 21st-century threats like terrorism and human trafficking. To support continued efforts to improve security cooperation, an Assistant Defense Attaché reporting to the Attaché in Oslo was sent to the Embassy in 2007.
- Immigration: The Consular Section of the Embassy is the principal point of contact for any immigration-related concerns with Icelandic authorities, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other federal agencies.
