EU Red Sea operation HQ to be in Larissa

Defense ministers in Brussels accept proposal by Nikos Dendias regarding Aspides mission

Greece, and the Hellenic European Union Operations Headquarters (EL EU OHQ) in particular, will be the headquarters of the EU operation for the safety of navigation in the Red Sea, after a relevant proposal by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias was accepted by his counterparts at the informal ministerial meeting of the EU in Brussels.

Operation Aspides, which means Protector, is a reflection of general Greek-French coordination, which was also exemplified by Wednesday's telephone communication between the two leaders of the countries' armed forces, Greece's Dimitrios Houpis and his French counterpart Thierry Burkhard.

In addition to the land-based command, which will be based at the Larissa headquarters, there will, as usual, be an on-board command with a heavier operational task.

The two main contenders for command at sea are France and Italy.

Aspides will be modeled on Operation Irini for the observance of the arms embargo in Libya (admittedly without brilliant results), therefore the command will be rotated among the countries that have expressed an interest in participating.

This means that in the next phase, depending of course on the duration of the operation, at some point Greece will also take over the on-board command.

In Operation Irini, management changes hands every six months. So far, Belgium, Italy, Greece, France and Germany have publicly expressed interest in participating in the operation. Defense Ministry sources stressed that Dendias had noted before Christmas that “Greece, the country with the largest naval fleet, has a primary interest in maintaining the freedom of the sea lanes and the protection of seafarers' lives,” therefore participation in such an operation should be taken for granted.

Greece is expected to participate, barring any contingency, with the Hydra frigate and all details of the EU operation should be ready by February 19. A few days earlier, either through a new extraordinary EU meeting or a teleconference, the final details are expected to be finalized. It is recalled that Greece will participate – with the same ship – in Operation Prosperity Guardian.

Greece's general interest in the situation in the Middle East was referred to by Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis in Parliament on Wednesday where he briefed the relevant committee.

“We are working on all scenarios. From the mildest to the worst, ugliest scenario, so that we can cope with quick reflexes,” Gerapetritis said, among other things, noting that the Foreign Ministry is evaluating three levels: humanitarian, operational and political.