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ATHENS, Greece — Athena is the Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft. She represents the intellectual and civilized side of war. This week, the city named after this Greek goddess hosted the Defense Exhibition Athens 2025, one of the biggest trade shows in the region.
Defense Exhibition Athens 2025 (DEFEA 25) is one of the region's largest defense trade shows, with approximately 98 delegations from 45 countries, almost double previous years, and over 430 exhibitors from 37 nations.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said the event coincided with Greece's recent announcement of a €25 billion, 12-year defense modernization plan focused on integrating advanced technologies and deepening the country's defense industry involvement in national procurement programs.
The U.S. Army's Commitment to innovation was on display, with Soldiers from V Corps, specifically the 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, and the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, showcasing equipment at the American Pavilion.
Staff Sgt. Amaurie Edwards, with the 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, said DEFEA 25 was his first trade show. "We had the opportunity to show our capabilities, and there was a lot of interest in the Javelin," he said, demonstrating the FGM-148 Javelin missile.
Sgt. Tristan Rabun of the same unit added, "Lots of Greek special forces recognized the M-4 carbine and reminisced about training. I've really enjoyed talking with everyone."
The event underscored the U.S. and NATO allies' shared commitment to regional stability through modernization and innovation. As Greece's role within NATO grows, its partnership with the U.S., bolstered by FMS and platforms like DEFEA, highlights the strength of transatlantic security cooperation, ensuring NATO remains resilient, adaptable, and ready for future challenges.
Chargé d'Affaires Maria Olson of the U.S. Embassy in Athens summed up the exhibition as a very positive continuation of the U.S.-Greece relationship.
"The USA Pavilion's showing at DEFEA 2025 reflected the strength and innovation of the American defense industrial base and the enduring power of the U.S.-Greece partnership. DEFEA has demonstrated how our militaries, industry, and technology converge in a complementary and critical manner to both our nations and among our Allies."
Greece emphasizes its strategic importance to the U.S. in Southeastern Europe and NATO's southern flank, highlighting the Hellenic defense industry's role as a supplier of major platforms like the F-35 and secondary systems.
"Greece aims for its domestic defense industry to participate in national procurement programs," Dendias said at DEFEA 25.
The U.S. has long been a key partner to Greece and NATO, using Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to bolster security, interoperability, and technological advancement.
U.S. officials attending included Ms. Sandy Long, senior advisor for defense exports at the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army; Col. Glenn McCartan, European defense engagement liaison, Defense Innovation Unit; and Mr. Tom Coradeschi, assistant PEO international joint program executive officer for armaments and ammunition. The U.S. Embassy Athens Chargé d’Affaires, Maria Olson, hosted the delegation.
Mr. Coradeschi emphasized the importance of events like DEFEA: "Achieving overmatch requires sharing knowledge, leveraging the diverse strengths of our combined industrial bases, and ensuring our systems work together flawlessly from day one. This is how we engineer truly integrated, resilient, and decisive capabilities together as an alliance."
He added, "Our strong U.S.-Greece FMS relationship provides a robust foundation. These aren't just transactions; they are steps in building integrated capabilities."
For Greece, FMS has been instrumental in modernizing its forces and fostering interoperability with U.S. and NATO allies.
An example of this is Exercise Immediate Response 2025, one of the largest U.S. Army exercises in Europe, which will take place in Greece from May 26 to June 6. The event highlights the strong interoperability and close partnership between U.S. and Greek forces. The multinational event in Petrochori, Xanthi, highlights NATO allies' ability to conduct complex operations, building upon recent joint efforts like the bilateral Stolen Cerberus XII special forces exercise.
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| Date Taken: | 05.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2025 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 498314 |
| Location: | ATHENS, GR |
| Web Views: | 186 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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