Διακλαδική Άσκηση Ειδικών Επιχειρήσεων

Πηγή

Αιφνιδιαστική άσκηση συνεργασίας των ειδικών δυνάμεων και της Αεροπορίας πραγματοποιήθηκε πριν λίγες ημέρες στη θαλάσσια περιοχή ανατολικά της Ρόδου, με εντολή του αρχηγού ΓΕΕΘΑ. 

Επρόκειτο για τη διακλαδική άσκηση “"Πυρπολητής 10"” με ενεργοποίηση τμημάτων της Δύναμης Ταχείας Αντίδρασης με σκοπό: 

-Τον εντοπισμό και εξουδετέρωση εχθρικού πλοίου αγκιστρωμένου σε ακτή νησιού. 

-Την εκτέλεση επιχείρησης Έρευνας Διάσωσης στην θαλάσσια περιοχή 

-Την αεροδιακομιδή με Ε/Π τραυματία από πλοίο του ΠΝ. 

Η άσκηση εκτελείται στην Ρόδο και την θαλάσσια περιοχή Ανατολικά του νησιού. Ειδικότερα το σενάριο της άσκησης προέβλεπε την αγκίστρωση του εχθρικού ταχύπλοου σκάφους μεγέθους πυραυλακάτου σε ακτή του νησιού το οποίο έχει αποβιβάσει εχθρικές δυνάμεις στο φίλιο έδαφος, ενώ ακολουθεί και δεύτερο κύμα. Η απάντηση των ελληνικών δυνάμεων είναι άμεση και διπλή, με την κινητοποίηση μαχητικών της ΠΑ και ειδικών δυνάμεων.. 

Τέσσερα F-16 απογειώνονται από την Κρήτη, με το ένα ζεύγος να έχει αποστολή την προσβολή στόχων εδάφους/επιφανείας και το δεύτερο την προστασία του εκτελώντας καθήκοντα εναέριας υπεροχής. 

Ειδικές δυνάμεις οι οποίες έχουν μεταφερθεί στο νησί με ελικόπτερα πραγματοποιούν στοχοποίηση του εχθρικού σκάφους με καταδείκτες λέιζερ για την προσβολή του από τα δύο F-16 που φέρουν όπλα με κατάδειξη λέιζερ (LGB). Στη συνέχεια πραγματοποιείται προσβολή του εχθρικού σκάφους ενώ ταυτόχρονα το σύνολο των ειδικών δυνάμεων «σφραγίζει» την περιοχή για να εξαλείψει την όποια εχθρική αντίδραση από τα τμήματα που έχουν πραγματοποιήσει την απόβαση, ενώ παράλληλα επιτηρεί και άλλα τμήματα που πιθανώς έχουν επίσης αποβιβαστεί. 

Την ίδια ώρα ένα ελληνικό μαχητικό έχει απολεσθεί 30 μίλια ανατολικά της Ρόδου με τον χειριστή του να έχει εγκαταλείψει το αεροσκάφος. Δύναμη CSAR της ΠΑ σε ελικόπτερο Super Puma υπό τη συνοδεία των F-16 που πραγματοποιούν αποστολή εναέριας αεροπορικής υποστήριξης πραγματοποιεί την διάσωση του πιλότου παρουσία εχθρικής αντίδρασης. 

Στην ακτή του νησιού κατά τη διάρκεια εξάλειψης του προγεφυρώματος από τις ειδικές δυνάμεις έχει υπάρξει τραυματισμός προσωπικού και ελικόπτερο από παραπλέουσα φρεγάτα πραγματοποιεί αεροδιακομιδή του στο σκάφος του ΠΝ για την προσφορά των πρώτων βοηθειών.

Πηγή

Special forces make leap of faith

Service members prepare for their jump over Ie Shima July 26. The service members worked with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 to conduct parachute training and sustain readiness. “We practice jumping quite regularly to maintain the skill, so we are always ready to deploy,” said one of the jumpers. The service members are with 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne).

OKINAWA, Japan - As cold air rushed through the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter, Army special forces and their Navy team members prepared themselves for a leap 5,000 feet above their landing zone.

Soldiers and sailors with 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), practiced their parachuting skills with the help of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, July 26.

Pilots with the squadron flew two CH-46Es in the skies over Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan, enabling the service members to conduct parachute training.

“We enjoyed helping the unit with this (training),” said Capt. Vladimir Y. Yarnykh, a Marine Corps CH-46E pilot with the squadron. “We have taken them out several times to help with parachute (training), and we plan to help with future (training) as well.”

The service members practiced static-line parachuting, during which a static line is attached to one end of the aircraft while the other end is attached to the pilot chute inside the jumper’s backpack. This opens a jumper’s parachute automatically upon exiting the aircraft.

In addition to static-line parachuting, the service members also performed free-fall parachute jumps.

“Though people may think it’s not a perishable skill, it really is,” said one of the Navy jumpers. “If we don’t practice jumping constantly, then we won’t be able to do all our formation landings and jumps well.”

The unit’s airborne group frequently conducts parachute training evolutions to ensure its service members can perform their jumps safely when called upon.

“Safety is our number one priority with the jumps,” said the Army senior medic for the battalion. “Wind, weather and location all play a part in a successful jump. If the wind is too (strong), then we may not be able to control where we land, and if there are thick clouds, we won’t be able to see.”

To help ensure safety, Marine pilots communicated with Army Special Forces support personnel on the ground at the drop zone.

“Communication between people on the ground and the pilots is paramount to ensure a safe jump,” said an Army jumper. “If we go to jump, and there are clouds (obscuring our view of the drop zone), we have to be sure everything is safe on the ground. If it’s not, then we have to cancel the jump.”

As the training came to an end, the service members gathered and discussed the training evolution.

“The training went well,” said the battalion’s senior medic. “Everyone did their part and landed in formation like they were supposed to. Some had a few problems with their parachutes at first, but the important thing is that we know what improvements can be made, and we make (future jumps).

Source

Exercise Promotes US-Guyana Spec Ops Capabilities

WASHINGTON, DC – A special operations exercise under way in Guyana is enhancing capabilities of both U.S. and Guyanese special operators and ensuring they have a foundation to respond together in the event of a common threat.

Exercise Fused Response kicked off March 1 and continues through March 9, bringing together about 300 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines with about 200 members of the Guyana Defense Forces, Navy Lt. Cdr. Ron Ralls, the lead planner, told American Forces Press Service.

The bilateral exercise, the largest of its kind in the Western hemisphere and with Guyana’s military this year, includes both field training and command post components. A full schedule of combined and joint training focuses heavily on communications, staff planning, reconnaissance and other military skills.

The goal, Ralls explained, is to develop better understanding about how the two countries’ forces operate so they can share best practices and, if required, work together more seamlessly.

“We have been training and doing exercises with the Guyana Defense Forces for many years, but this is the first time we have had an exercise of this scope with them,” he said. “It increases our ability to work with each other [and] know each other’s capabilities, which enhances our ability to work together in any circumstance.”

That ability is critical, he said, in standing up to what’s recognized as the paramount threat in the region: transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking of drugs, humans and other contraband.

“This is a threat to everyone,” Ralls said, noting that the criminals involved and operate without regard to national borders or legal constraints.

In contrast, the regional nations striving to stand up to these threats are far less resourced, he noted. “So it’s a pretty daunting challenge when the criminal organization has more influence than the country that is trying to fight it,” he said.

Recognizing that transnational challenges require international cooperation, planners view exercises like Fused Response as an opportunity to build capability within partner nations’ defense forces and, in some cases, their law enforcement agencies.

“Enhancing their capability goes a long way toward the overall goal of trying to reduce or stop these organizations from being able to operate freely,” Ralls said. “It ensures that for any threat they may go up against, they will be more efficient and better prepared.”

The exercise is part of U.S. Southern Command’s ongoing effort to build and sustain enduring partnerships in the region. These engagements, some bilateral and some multilateral, include personnel exchanges, exercises and senior-level forums that address broad, strategic issues.

“Fused Response 2012 … reflects a broad and continuing United States commitment to military and civilian engagement to promote peace and prosperity in the Americas,” said U.S. Ambassador D. Brent Hardt at a press conference in Guyana just before the exercise kicked off. “We maintain cooperative relations with our partners in the region to enhance regional security and cooperation.

“Through operations such as Fused Response, as well as through an array of training and exchange programs,” Hardt continued, “the United States is actively engaged to build the capacity of -- and learn from -- our partners and allies so that individually and collectively we can better protect our citizenry and enhance regional security.”

Ralls said it’s gratifying during Fused Response to see participants become increasingly comfortable with each other and forge friendships that continue long after the exercise concludes.

“Ultimately, these engagements build rapport between U.S. forces and the partner nations’ forces,” he said. “As this takes place, you see them get to know each other, begin building relationships and come together as a more effective team.”

Πηγή

US, ROK Navy SEALs Train to Counteract Threats

Two days before a weather front sopped the southern tip of the peninsula, Navy SEALs from both the U.S. and the Republic of Korea teamed up to conduct visit, board, search and seizure drills on a Korean Navy ship in Jinhae Harbor.

Sailing in calm seas and flying in clear skies, the ROK Navy and U.S. Army provided support with the ROK Navy AOE-59, Hwachun – a refueling vessel – and U.S. MH-47 Chinook helicopters piloted and crewed by soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

The SEALs, from Naval Special Warfare Group 1 out of Coronado, Calif., and the Korean Naval Special Brigade, began the evolution by performing fast-rope drills at a helicopter pad resting on top of a hill overlooking the harbor at Jinhae Naval Base.

Fast-roping is a technique for descent from a helicopter by sliding down a thick-woven rope. It is the preferred method of rapid troop delivery from a helicopter platform.

“If we do it right, we can get 15 guys onto the ship in 30 seconds or less,” said “Mike,” a U.S. Navy SEAL, who wished to remain anonymous. “It’s all about speed and maintaining your distance between you and your buddy below you.”

Typically a 10-foot gap between troops is the norm when fast-roping, he added.

After the SEALs honed their skills on land, it was onto the primary drill in the harbor the following two days. By the light of day and in the black of night using night-vision goggles, teams of SEALs fast-roped onto the aft deck of the Hwachum and scattered in their respective squads to search the ships many rooms and quarters for mock “pirates” who were hiding down below the deck and on the bridge.

“When people think of pirates, they tend to think of Hollywood movies and Captain Hook – the stereotypical image of pirates in the 16 and 1700s – but the threat is very much still around, not so much off our (U.S.) shores, but definitely over here and especially off the coast of Somalia in the Arabian Sea,” said Chris, another U.S. SEAL, who also wished to remain anonymous. “But this type of training combats piracy and other forms of high-seas threats like drug runners and, of course, if North Korea ever tries to take a South Korean naval vessel.”

Events like the VBSS demonstrate the successful interoperability between the U.S. and ROK Special Forces and the continued coordination and cooperation between the two allies said a Lt. (senior grade) platoon leader from ROK SEAL Team 3.

“It’s critical to share tactics like this to make sure we’re on the same page and I hope to have similar training like this in the future,” he said.

NSWG 1 Commander Van Wennen, who was participating in his second Foal Eagle, couldn’t agree more.

“The VBSS has been the primary focus of the last two exercises,” he said. “We teach and learn from them – really a two-way street. We’ve had a long relationship with the ROK Naval Special Warfare community and we hope to sustain that relationship for a long time to come.”

Πηγή

SOCSOUTH and Nicaraguan partners participate in training exchange Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/88836/socsouth-and-nicaraguan-partners-participate-training-exchange

Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea

Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen assigned to SEAL Team 18, in support of Special Operations Command South, along with members assigned to the Destacamento Operaciones Especiales Navales and soldiers from the Comando Operaciones Especiales make a splash during a boat interdiction exercise, May 9, along the coast in Chinandega, Nicaragua. Throughout the four-week JCET, Special Warfare Combatant-craft crewmen trained on critical skills such as water survival, tactical casualty combat care, communications, basic maritime navigation, boat handling maneuvers on small tactical boats, weapons familiarization, and tactical boat operations.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen assigned to SEAL Team – 18 in support of Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) participated in a Joint Combined Exchange Training event in Nicaragua, April 15 to May 15.

JCETs allow U.S. special operations forces to train and hone their skills in foreign nations. This JCET also allowed the SWCC members to train and exchange techniques with military members from Nicaragua. American and Nicaraguan troops routinely train and work together, but for these Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen, this event represented the first time members from this elite unit participated in a formal military exchange program inside Nicaragua’s borders in several years.

This event allowed the SWCC and members of Nicaragua’s Naval Special Operation Detachment (dubbed “Destacamento Operaciones Especiales Navales”) and the Comando Operaciones Especiales to train together and exchange military tactics and ideas. These types of exchanges help U.S. special operations forces maintain their combat readiness while enhancing bilateral relations and interoperability with partner nations through improved military-to-military contacts.

These JCETs are part of Special Operations Command South’s Theater Security Cooperation program. The program enables partner nations to better protect their borders and increase their capacity to conduct special operations. SOCSOUTH is responsible for all U.S. special operations activities in the Caribbean and in Central and South America; it serves as a component for U.S. Southern Command.

In addition, JCETs allow U.S. military personnel to improve their teaching skills and gain regional knowledge. Members of the Nicaraguan military also benefit from this JCET and view it as a great opportunity to learn from experienced U.S. special operations forces.

Located at the heart of Central American isthmus, Nicaragua is the largest nation in the region, but it has been used as a point of illicit trafficking of narcotics and people. Bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica in the south, the nation is one of the few with oceans on either side of its territory. With the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east, the nation has many fronts to protect.

This exchange greatly benefited the Nicaraguan troops in learning new techniques as they protect the nation from the threat of Transnational Organized Crime.

“From the start of this [JCET], we have been training for real-life situations which will help us deter and combat threats such as narco-trafficking and organized crime,” said Nicaraguan 1st Lt. Vicente Roberto Baltodano. “This experience has been very good for us because we have learned critical combat skills, such as first aid, communications, and how to conduct boat interdictions. These are tools that will help us protect our nation from these threats. We have a great amount of respect for them [U.S. military], and it has been a good exchange between us.”

Throughout the four-week JCET, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen trained on critical skills such as water survival, tactical casualty combat care, communications, basic maritime navigation, boat handling maneuvers on small tactical boats, weapons familiarization, and tactical boat operations.

“One of the main goals coming into this event was to help us increase our skills and help them [Nicaragua military] increase their interoperability,” said a senior SWCC member. “These types of skills will help them protect their borders and waterways.”

For the U.S. servicemebers, this JCET allowed them to build upon the strong military partnerships between the two nations.

“Throughout the JCET, we have enjoyed a very solid working relationship, and we would want to come back. It has been a great exchange,” said a SWCC member.

Ending the monthlong event, a small ceremony took place where each Nicaraguan service member who took part in the event received a certificate of appreciation from their American counterparts.

Baltodano and several other members of the DOEN and COE say they hope they will not have to wait several more years to work with their American counterparts.

“We hope they come back next year and next time stay here training with us for two or three months,” Baltodano said. “We have worked well together and look forward to future training events with them.”
 

 

Πηγή

Amber Hope 2011 to encompass Land, Air and Naval Forces in Lithuania

Multinational exercise "Amber Hope 2011" Lithuania  hosted on June 13-23 involved all the branches of armed forces – land, naval, air and special operations. In the period of the exercise they  operated as an integrated multinational peace support forces, reports BC the press service of the National Defence Ministry.

Land component during the Exercise  trained at the Lithuanian Armed Forces Pabrades Training Area, maritime component – at the Baltic Sea, air component – in Kairiu and Pabrades Training Areas and over the Baltic Sea, Special Operations troops  improved their skills at Pabrades Training Area and seaside.

On the basis of the Exercise scenario generated in close relation to the ongoing NATO and the EU operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, and drawn to real-life conditions to the maximum extent, the training  put to test readiness of troops to take part in the contemporary NATO-led operations in multinational environment.

Land component of the Exercise  consisted of two multinational battalions, engineer and protection from mass destruction weapons platoons. In Amber Hope 2011 it was the biggest military unit in number.

Troops of the land component  trained conducting live firing, suppressing riot, medical evacuation, escort, convoy, patrolling, and other tasks.

Air component  supported participating units by integrated air operations. It  conducted close air support (CAS) operations, imitate air raids and air support operations, air surveillance, medical evacuation and airlift of the injured, search and rescue operations (SAR), tactical air lift (TAL). Air operations  involved two helicopters of the Lithuanian Air Force Mi-8 and two light assault aircrafts L-39 ZA.

According to the maritime component plan of the Amber Hope 2011 scenario six vessels of the Lithuanian Naval Force (LNF), harbour cutter H21, and the Sea and Coastal Surveillance Service  participated in the training.

The Exercise  also trained readiness of ship crews and staff officers to respond to a changing situation in the process of naval operation at sea on the basis of a military conflict scenario.

Exercise "Amber Hope 2011"  proceeded in two phases. During the first phase from June 13 to 18 participating military personnel  improved procedures related to tactical warships manoeuvring in formations, water-surface object detection and observation, battle with above-water targets, search and neutralisation of naval mines, artillery fire at sea, etc. The aim of the phase was to coordinate ability of several ships to implement joint military operations in an integral unit. In this phase special operations and air components trained together with warships.

During the following stage on June 19-23 maritime component  operated according to an established scenario. Personnel of the maritime component  acted in two groups. One of them  conducted maritime assistance and at-sea defence operations, the other – a fictitious assault and diversions.

The Sea and Coastal Surveillance Service of the Lithuanian Naval Force  executed reinforced maritime surveillance from naval observation posts, record suspicions actions of the fictitious enemy at sea. Maritime component  operated jointly with the special operations component, hostile forces at sea were played by harbour cutter H21 and search and rescue vessel "Sakiai".

Multinational exercise Amber Hope 2011  involved around 2,2 thousand military and civilian personnel from 9 NATO member countries- Estonia, the USA, Canada, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania and Norway, and two Partnership for Peace (PfP) countries NATO partners – Georgia and Finland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine.

Lithuania was represented by personnel from all the branches of the Lithuanian Armed Forces –the Land Force, the Air Force, the Naval Force and the Special Operations Forces, representatives from the Public Security Service and the Lithuanian Red Cross Society.

Goal of the Exercise "Amber Hope 2011" was to enhance cooperation among the military divisions of the Partnership for Peace and NATO countries while training to take part in joint crisis response operations and strengthen military cooperation between NATO and partners of the Alliance.

"Amber Hope 2011"  also improved and evaluated readiness of the Lithuanian Armed Forces to deliver Host Nation Support (HNS) to incoming forces.

Πηγή

Η αιφνίδια διακοπή τουρκικών στρατιωτικών ασκήσεων στο Αιγαίο

Η αιφνίδια διακοπή των δύο μεγαλύτερων τουρκικών στρατιωτικών ασκήσεων στο Αιγαίο, ξάφνιασε τον τουρκικό Τύπο, ενώ παράλληλα πυροδότησε και πολλά σενάρια τα οποία συνδέονται με τις σχέσεις μεταξύ Ελλάδας και Τουρκίας, αλλά και με τις επερχόμενες τουρκικές εκλογές.

Το τουρκικό Γενικό Επιτελείο ενόπλων δυνάμεων, με μια λιτή ανακοίνωση που εξέδωσε αναφέρει ότι «ματαιώθηκαν οι τουρκικές στρατιωτικές ασκήσεις "Θαλασσόλυκος 2011" και "Έφεσος 2011" που κάθε χρόνο διεξάγονται στο Αιγαίο και τη Μεσόγειο. Φέτος είχαν προγραμματιστεί  να διεξαχθούν στις 25-27 Μαΐου». Σημειώνεται δε, ότι η ανακοίνωση δεν αναφέρει τίποτε άλλο, (όπως για παράδειγμα τον λόγο της ακύρωσης), γεγονός που, όπως φαίνεται, προβλημάτισε τον τουρκικό Τύπο, αφού έδωσε «τροφή» για πολλά σενάρια.

Τι αναφέρουν στρατιωτικοί κύκλοι στην Αθήνα

Στρατιωτικοί κύκλοι στην Αθήνα εξήγησαν την αιφνιδιαστική ακύρωση των ασκήσεων ως εσωτερικό πρόβλημα μεταξύ κυβέρνησης και στρατού, αναφέροντας την υπόθεση βαριοπούλα. Οι ίδιοι κύκλοι ανέφεραν πως δεν πρέπει κανείς να ξεχνά ότι πολλές μονάδες του τουρκικού ναυτικού επιχειρούν αυτή τη στιγμή στη Λιβύη, με ό, τι αυτό συνεπάγεται για την εύρυθμη εξέλιξη μιας στρατιωτικής άσκησης επιπέδου «Θαλασσόλυκος» και κυρίως «Εφέσου 2011».

Επίσης το ελληνικό Πεντάγωνο απέκλεισε το ενδεχόμενο να υπάρχει κάποια ανεπίσημη συνεννόηση μεταξύ των δύο ΓΕΕΘΑ για ακύρωση ασκήσεων στο Αιγαίο.

Οι ίδιοι κύκλοι, υπενθυμίζουν πως η Ελλάδα για λόγους εξοικονόμησης πόρων δεν προβαίνει σε ασκήσεις μεγάλου βεληνεκούς εδώ και καιρό. Ανεξάρτητα από τα παραπάνω, από τις 24 Μαΐου βρίσκεται στην Άγκυρα κλιμάκιο του ελληνικού ΓΕΕΘΑ το οποίο συζητά με αξιωματικούς της Τουρκίας το περιεχόμενο των Μέτρων Οικοδόμησης Εμπιστοσύνης (ΜΟΕ), τα οποία θα ισχύσουν το 2012.

Τι απάντησε ο ΥΠΕΘΑ της Τουρκίας

Ο  υπουργός  Άμυνας της Τουρκίας, Βετζντί Γκιονούλ, ανέφερε ότι: «Η αναβολή των στρατιωτικών ασκήσεων στο Αιγαίο είναι απόφαση που αφορά αποκλειστικά το Γενικό Επιτελείο».

Από την Αττάλεια όπου βρίσκεται, κ. Γκιονούλ δήλωσε ότι δεν έχει καμία ευκαιρία να συζητήσει το θέμα με την στρατιωτική ηγεσία, αφού η στρατιωτική ηγεσία βρίσκονταν στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, για κάποια άλλη άσκηση.

«Γι' αυτό και δεν είχαμε κατ' ιδίαν συνάντηση», είπε, απαντώντας σε σχετικές ερωτήσεις δημοσιογράφων και προσέθεσε ότι «πρόκειται για αποτέλεσμα δικής τους εσωτερικής αξιολόγησης. Η απόφαση αυτή προήλθε από εσωτερική αξιολόγηση του Γενικού Επιτελείου».

Παράλληλα, ανακοίνωση που αναρτήθηκε χθες το βράδυ στον ιστότοπο του Τουρκικού Επιτελείου ανήγγειλε την ακύρωση δύο τακτικών ασκήσεων στο Αιγαίο.

Θετικά βλέπει το γεγονός ο υπουργός Τουρισμού της Τουρκίας

Ο υπουργός Τουρισμού της Τουρκίας, Ερτεουρούλ Γκικουνάι, ο οποίος βρίσκεται στην Σμύρνη, αφού ρωτήθηκε από δημοσιογράφους για το συγκεκριμένο θέμα απάντησε : «Σχολιάζω την ακύρωση των ασκήσεων ως μια ομαλοποίηση στις σχέσεις μας με την Ελλάδα και μια πορεία ειρήνης στο Αιγαίο». Επίσης πρόσθεσε ότι «θα συμβάλλει στην ανάπτυξη του τουρισμού».

Τα σενάρια του τουρκικού τύπου για την ακύρωση των ασκήσεων

Σενάρια που είδαν το φώς της δημοσιότητας στον τουρκικό Τύπο φέρουν να υπάρχει ένταση μεταξύ πολιτικής και στρατιωτικής ηγεσίας.

-Ο τουρκικός Τύπος, προβάλλει τον ισχυρισμό ότι οι ασκήσεις ήταν σχεδιασμένες να γίνουν σε χωρικά ύδατα της Ελλάδας τα οποία η Τουρκία τα θεωρεί διεθνή, οπότε, προκειμένου να μην γίνει θερμό επεισόδιο, ακυρώθηκαν.

-Πολύ σημαντικό είναι το γεγονός, πάντα σύμφωνα με τον Τύπο, ότι ο διοικητής της άσκησης «Θαλασσόλυκος», εμπλέκεται στην υπόθεση «Βαριοπούλα», η οποία συνδέθηκε με το σχέδιο ανατροπής του πρωθυπουργού της Τουρκίας, Ταγίπ Ερντογάν.

Στην άσκηση EFES-201i θα συμμετείχαν περί τα 8.000 στελέχη των τουρκικών ενόπλων δυνάμεων και συγκεκριμένα:

• 2 μηχανοκίνητα τάγματα πεζικού, 1 επιλαρχία αρμάτων, 3 μοίρες πυροβολικού, 2 τάγματα πεζοναυτών, 3 ομάδες της ∆ιεύθυνσης Ειδικών ∆υνάμεων του τουρκικού ΓΕΕΘΑ (Bordo Bereli), τμήματα βατραχανθρώπων SAS και SAT και 1 τάγμα καταδρομών.

• Πολεμικά πλοία (φρεγάτες, κορβέτες, υποβρύχια), 47 αποβατικά σκάφη, 45 ελαστικές λέμβοι και σκάφη της διοίκησης ασφαλείας ακτών.

• 46 πολεμικά αεροσκάφη (F-16 και F-4), 4 μεταγωγικά αεροσκάφη, 1 αεροσκάφος ηλεκτρονικού πολέμου, 33 μεταφορικά και επιθετικά ελικόπτερα, καθώς επίσης και μη επανδρωμένα αεροσκάφη τουρκικής κατασκευής mini UAV’s.

Πηγή