NATO special forces conduct exercise simulating recapture of Aegean Islands
NATO appoints Special Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, Brussels, October 12, 2023 (AA Photo)
NATO Special Operations Forces Command (SOFCOM) announced the commencement of exercise “Orion-24,” involving elite forces from 11 NATO member and partner countries. The exercise is centered around a simulated scenario involving the “recapture” of eastern Aegean islands.
SOFCOM, in a social media post, highlighted the complex nature of the training, which includes day and night operations under realistic conditions.
According to NATO, the exercise includes participants from the U.S., France, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Austria, North Macedonia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Egypt, with seven of these countries contributing a total of 120 commandos. The exercise started on Sept. 2 and will end on Sept. 14.
Greek media has reported additional details about the exercise. Nearly all Greek sources have noted that the multinational exercise will focus on scenarios involving the recapture of eastern Aegean islands.
Greek online news platform Pentapostagma reported that in this year’s Orion-24 exercise, allies will assist Greek commandos in a scenario involving the recapture of islands in the Eastern Aegean. Athens Times highlighted that one of the key scenarios in Orion-24 will involve the recapture of a small island in the Eastern Aegean in the coming days.
The news emphasized that this segment of the exercise is “highly challenging” and carries “special symbolism,” with commandos expected to land on the island via amphibious vehicles, underwater deployments, parachute drops, and Chinook helicopters for recovery operations.
The recapture exercise has drawn comparisons to the “Aegean War” scenario detailed by the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) in its 2018 book “Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations,” which explored a potential conflict scenario between Türkiye and Greece in the Aegean. The book depicted a scenario where the U.S. Sixth Fleet intervenes on behalf of Greece against Türkiye.
2017 NATO controversy over Turkish targets
A NATO exercise held in Norway in 2017 sparked controversy after targets depicting Turkish national symbols, including the image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the name of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, were included in the training scenario.
The inclusion of these targets led to a strong reaction from the Turkish government, with the Turkish Armed Forces issuing a “withdrawal order” in protest. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also launched an investigation into the incident, highlighting the sensitivity surrounding such matters.
