The Distinguished Visitors Day (DV – Day) of the Multinational Exercise “OLYMPIC COOPERATION – 23” took place on Friday, November 24, 2023, at the Battle Tank Shooting Range in Petrochori, Xanthi. 

The DV-Day was held in the presence of the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos-Georgios Dendias, and the Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, Lt. General Angelos Houdeloudis, on behalf of the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS), General Konstantinos Floros. 

The multinational exercise “OLYMPIC COOPERATION – 23”, which takes place on an annual basis, is a LIVEX/FTX (Live Exercise/Field Training Exercise) and was conducted from Monday 13 to Friday 24 November 2023, as part of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff’s planning for the international activities of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The exercise took place with the participation of the Armed Forces of Greece, Cyprus, the USA, France, Bulgaria, and Georgia, and the participation of observers from Egypt, Albania, Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Jordan, Romania, and Saudi Arabia.

It is worth-mentioning that the joint, combined arms training of the land forces of France-Greece takes place for the first time on Greek soil, in the framework of the “Guidelines for the Upgrading of Greek-French Military Cooperation”, signed by the Chief of HNDGS, General Konstantinos Floros, and the Chief of the French Defence Staff, General Thierry Burkhard, aiming to strengthen cooperation and interoperability between the Armed Forces of the 2 countries.

During the exercise, the participants had the opportunity to train in scenarios of defensive and offensive operations at the tactical level as well as in the execution of live fire using Tactical Engagement Simulation Systems. The aforesaid aimed to strengthen the level of operational readiness, combat capability, understanding, exchange of know-how, and interoperability between the participating forces.

In the context of the exercise, the following, among others, were performed:

• Artillery, tank, and mortar fire
• Crossing water obstacles
• Training in Close Air Support (CAS) and Close Combat Attack (CCA) scenarios with Terminal Fire Guidance by a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC)
• Dual action exercises using Tactical Engagement Simulation Systems
• Defensive and Offensive Tactics.

The DV – Day was also attended by:

• The Ambassador of France to Greece, Mr. Laurence Auer.
• The Deputy Commander of the Land Forces of France, Lt. Gen. Guillaume du Breil de Pontbriand, the Commander of the 1st ARMY/EU-OHQ, Lt. Gen. Ioannis Tsioplos, and the Commander of the 4th Army Corps, Lt. Gen. Dimokritos Konstantakos.
• The Commander of the Headquarters Multinational Division South East (MND–SE), Major General Dorin Toma, the Director of the 1st Branch of the Hellenic Army General Staff, Major General Emmanuel Theodorou, and the Commander of the XX Armored Division (MACEDONIA), Major General Nikolaos Athanatos.
• The Commander of the 7th FR Armored Brigade, Brigadier Phillipe Le Carff.
• Colonel Antonio Merenda on behalf of the Italian Brigade “GARIBALDI”.
• Defence and Military Attachés of Foreign Countries in Greece.
• Delegations of the local government, the Military Authorities, and accredited journalists.

Also read: GEEF | Signs Bilateral Defence Cooperation Program with France