Greek Army AH-64 Apache and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters soar above the land where Persian soldiers once marched and fought the historic battle of Thermopylae with Spartans and allied Greek forces. Stefanovikeio is the current home of the Greek First Army Aviation Brigade, and rotational site for the Atlantic Resolve U.S. Army aviation task force.
Members of the 1st Infantry Division (Forward) and the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade met with representatives from the Greek Army and the U.S. Area Support Team – Greece in Stefanovikeio. The soldiers from the “Big Red One,” 1st Infantry Division, are working to prepare multiple sites across Greece to receive the incoming U.S. rotational aviation task force as part of the recently renewed Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement between the U.S. and Greece and the ongoing European Defense Initiative mission, Atlantic Resolve.
According to the Hellenic Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, the new five-year pact with the U.S. further shields Greece from threats.
“This agreement takes relations with the United States to a new level. A level they had never encountered before,” Dendias said. “It is extremely positive for our national interests that the U.S. attaches particular importance to our country.”
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The U.S. Area Support Team – Greece has been working with the Greek government since 2019 to establish a U.S. Army presence in the country that can train and work with regional NATO (National Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies.
“In 2019, it [MDCA] was signed on a yearly basis and added Stefanovikeio and Alexandroupolis as two locations that the U.S. and Greece would improve together for mutual use,” said Brandon Marsh, Site Lead for the U.S. Area Support Team – Greece. “Now, the agreement included Camp Georgoula (Volos) and Camp Giannouli, which will be the Logistics Support Area in Alexandroupolis. We can potentially put a camp there that could provide support for up to 600 U.S. troops. Then you would have something that’s established where troops can work and live… not needing to wait weeks or months for a contracted LSA instead.”
Although separate from the recently signed MDCA between the U.S. and Greece, Atlantic Resolve directly links the agreement to the larger NATO strategic picture. Since April 2014, U.S. Army Europe and Africa has led the Department of Defense’s Atlantic Resolve land efforts by rotating units based in the U.S. to Europe. The rotational units work to improve interoperability with NATO forces, strengthening the alliance and deterring aggression all while improving their own unit readiness.
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