US House of Representatives Passes Amendment to Explore Expanded US Military Presence on Greek Islands

The US House of Representatives has approved an amendment aimed at assessing the potential for an expanded American military presence on Greek islands. This comes from the expanded defence cooperation agreement signed between the United States and Greece in October 2021, which granted US forces access to four additional military bases in Greece.

The amendment, part of the bill for the US defence budget (NDAA), seeks to explore possibilities for further enhancing the American military presence in Greece, specifically emphasising the islands. It calls for a report to be jointly submitted by the US Secretaries of Defense and Foreign Affairs to relevant congressional committees, focusing on the security relationship between the US and Greece.

The report, to be filed within two months of the final bill (NDAA) signing, will include an analysis of potential additional bases or expanded US military presence in the Hellenic Republic, particularly on the Greek islands. It will also describe the basing rights granted to the United States under the updated US-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) signed on October 14, 2023, along with details of US activities and investments in the bases covered by the MDCA. Furthermore, the report will assess the status of security cooperation in accordance with the requirements of the U.S.-Greece Defense and Inter-parliamentary Partnership Act of 2021.

The amendment was introduced by US Representative Grace Meng, a Democrat representing New York City, who is a member of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. Representative Meng's amendment aims to support Greece and foster deeper security and defence collaboration between the two nations. The bill will now undergo negotiations with the Senate to finalize the text before it is sent to President Joe Biden for approval.