NATO Special Operations Forces Headquarters has just inducted Greece's special paratrooper unit ETA into an exclusive club of the word's elite special forces, such as the US’s Delta Force and Navy Seals and Britains's SAS.
"In the closing days of 2021, a little-known Greek special-operations unit received NATO’s highest readiness qualification. Evaluators from the NATO Special Operations Forces Headquarters (NSHQ) traveled to Greece and put the country’s elite special operators through the wringer," writes Stavros Atlamazoglou in Business Insider.
According to Business Insider, the Greek Special Paratroopers Section, Ειδικό Τμήμα Αλεξιπτωτιστών (ΕΤΑ), a tier-one special-operations unit of the Hellenic Army, 'not only passed with top marks but also achieved the highest possible rating.'
"An NSHQ committee assessed the Greek special-operations unit for almost a week in December. The NATO testers evaluated ETA on three mission sets: foreign internal defense, direct action, and special reconnaissance.
"Simulating a real-world operation, ETA special operators forward-deployed and performed a wide range of missions, making use of all their infiltration techniques and skill sets.
"The whole unit took part in the evaluation, as did a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear warfare element that was attached to ETA.
"ETA primarily specializes in strategic reconnaissance and direct action and is modeled on the British Special Air Service."
