Egypt, Greece, Cyprus Conclude Joint Naval Exercise
Dr. Shaul Shay
| 02/12/2018
https://youtu.be/26eMAb079iI
Greece, Egypt, and Cyprus concluded a joint military exercise dubbed 'Medusa 7', held on November 24-30, 2018. According to the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), the land, air and sea exercise on and around the island of Crete was observed by military representatives from the US, Italy, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.
'Medusa 7' witnessed the participation of Egyptian naval forces college students within their overseas training programs, as well as the attendance of a number of youths from the country’s presidential leadership program.
Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos and his counterparts from Cyprus and Egypt, Savvas Angelidis and Mohamed Ahmed Zaki, attended the final phase of the exercise. The Ministers of Defense hailed the forces carrying out the training, which they say “reflects a special level of cooperation between the forces of the three countries.”
The Greek Armed Forces participated with three frigates with navy helicopters, one submarine, two missile ships, eight F-16 aircraft, one aircraft of the 380 Airborne Early Warning & Control System Squadron, one Super Puma helicopter, three Chinook helicopters, four attack helicopters AH-64, and two Marine and Personnel Special Forces units.
The Cypriot Armed Forces participated with one offshore vessel and personnel of Special Forces units.
The Egyptian Armed Forces participated with one Mistral Class (ENS Anwar El Sadat), one frigate, one submarine, two missile ships, six F-16s, one E2-C aircraft, as well as Special Forces.
The purpose of the exercise was to promote the cooperation of the Armed Forces of the participating countries by improving the level of operational training in a multi-threat environment, according to an announcement by the General Secretariat for Defense.
The exercise included the implementation of several activities, such as sailing formations during the day and night, training on the take-off and landing of helicopters, and fighting naval battles at sea. The exercise demonstrated the ability of the participating naval units to take their positions with a high degree of accuracy and speed.
The maneuvers included training for maritime interdiction operations and the right to visit and search suspected ships; training on search and rescue procedures and the exchanging of communications between naval vessels, offshore units and train crews to carry out various exercises at sea.
Other exercises included securing offshore units using air-defense weapons and securing lines of communication and the movement of maritime transport. The Special Forces units executed trainings related to amphibious landing exercises on the coast.
Summary
Greece, Egypt and Cyprus face common negative consequences, challenges and threats of the unstable and violent Middle East:
Turkey: All three countries have political and economic disputes with Turkey.
Terrorism: Egypt is challenged by radical Islamic extremism and terrorism, while Greece and Cyprus has a similar potential threat.
Refugees: Greece has received millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, while Egypt hosts already hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, and other African countries.
Libya: After the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Libya became a failed state and a gate for immigration to Europe and main source of terrorists and weapons.
To respond to the challenges, Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, became strategic allies. Combating terrorism, smuggling and illegal migration is part on the agenda of security cooperation between the countries.
Turkey took a stance in opposition to the tripartite alliance of Egypt-Greece-Cyprus since it was announced in 2014. Ankara views the alliance as directed against Turkey because of its tense relations with the three countries. However, Cairo, Athens and Nicosia denied such claims, affirming that the alliance is not directed against any of their Mediterranean neighbors, but the statements could not change Turkey’s convictions and views on the alliance.
The joint exercise is part of the Egyptian armed forces plan for joint training with friendly countries to boost military cooperation and an exchange of training experiences across different fields. The ‘Medusa 7’ exercise came in the context of augmenting distinctive relationships, bolstering cooperation and exchanging expertise between the armed forces of Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus.
[Sources: ekathimerini, Ahram Online, newgreektv, The Greek Observer, Egypt Today]
https://youtu.be/26eMAb079iI
Greece, Egypt, and Cyprus concluded a joint military exercise dubbed 'Medusa 7', held on November 24-30, 2018. According to the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), the land, air and sea exercise on and around the island of Crete was observed by military representatives from the US, Italy, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.
'Medusa 7' witnessed the participation of Egyptian naval forces college students within their overseas training programs, as well as the attendance of a number of youths from the country’s presidential leadership program.
Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos and his counterparts from Cyprus and Egypt, Savvas Angelidis and Mohamed Ahmed Zaki, attended the final phase of the exercise. The Ministers of Defense hailed the forces carrying out the training, which they say “reflects a special level of cooperation between the forces of the three countries.”
The Greek Armed Forces participated with three frigates with navy helicopters, one submarine, two missile ships, eight F-16 aircraft, one aircraft of the 380 Airborne Early Warning & Control System Squadron, one Super Puma helicopter, three Chinook helicopters, four attack helicopters AH-64, and two Marine and Personnel Special Forces units.
The Cypriot Armed Forces participated with one offshore vessel and personnel of Special Forces units.
The Egyptian Armed Forces participated with one Mistral Class (ENS Anwar El Sadat), one frigate, one submarine, two missile ships, six F-16s, one E2-C aircraft, as well as Special Forces.
The purpose of the exercise was to promote the cooperation of the Armed Forces of the participating countries by improving the level of operational training in a multi-threat environment, according to an announcement by the General Secretariat for Defense.
The exercise included the implementation of several activities, such as sailing formations during the day and night, training on the take-off and landing of helicopters, and fighting naval battles at sea. The exercise demonstrated the ability of the participating naval units to take their positions with a high degree of accuracy and speed.
The maneuvers included training for maritime interdiction operations and the right to visit and search suspected ships; training on search and rescue procedures and the exchanging of communications between naval vessels, offshore units and train crews to carry out various exercises at sea.
Other exercises included securing offshore units using air-defense weapons and securing lines of communication and the movement of maritime transport. The Special Forces units executed trainings related to amphibious landing exercises on the coast.
Summary
Greece, Egypt and Cyprus face common negative consequences, challenges and threats of the unstable and violent Middle East:
Turkey: All three countries have political and economic disputes with Turkey.
Terrorism: Egypt is challenged by radical Islamic extremism and terrorism, while Greece and Cyprus has a similar potential threat.
Refugees: Greece has received millions of refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, while Egypt hosts already hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, and other African countries.
Libya: After the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Libya became a failed state and a gate for immigration to Europe and main source of terrorists and weapons.
To respond to the challenges, Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, became strategic allies. Combating terrorism, smuggling and illegal migration is part on the agenda of security cooperation between the countries.
Turkey took a stance in opposition to the tripartite alliance of Egypt-Greece-Cyprus since it was announced in 2014. Ankara views the alliance as directed against Turkey because of its tense relations with the three countries. However, Cairo, Athens and Nicosia denied such claims, affirming that the alliance is not directed against any of their Mediterranean neighbors, but the statements could not change Turkey’s convictions and views on the alliance.
The joint exercise is part of the Egyptian armed forces plan for joint training with friendly countries to boost military cooperation and an exchange of training experiences across different fields. The ‘Medusa 7’ exercise came in the context of augmenting distinctive relationships, bolstering cooperation and exchanging expertise between the armed forces of Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus.
[Sources: ekathimerini, Ahram Online, newgreektv, The Greek Observer, Egypt Today]
