As we reported yesterday, we had another incredible challenge from the head of the far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Devlet Bakhceli, and a government partner of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Bakhceli visited the headquarters of the nationalist organization “Grey Wolves”, of which he is effectively the head, and had a meeting with its executives.
After the end of the meeting, the – typical – leader of the “Grey Wolves” Ahmet Yigit Yildirim, also a top executive of the far-right co-ruling MIR party, presented Bakhtseli with a table with a map showing the Aegean islands and Crete, as part of … Turkey .
“Greece is installing a new military force at the naval base of Souda, which it will modernize on the island of Crete. The Souda naval base will be the second largest military naval base in Greece after the Salamis naval base.”
The operational and geopolitical reasons that have led the staffs of the Armed Forces to the decision for the second naval station are clear. With the creation of this infrastructure, the country will be able to make its naval presence felt in the Eastern Mediterranean and control it more effectively, following the successive developments, energy and geopolitical, and the challenges in the region.
Another factor that the staffs have taken into account is that with a naval station in Crete, close to Salamis, the mega-island will be utilized to the maximum, according to the planning of the Armed Forces. Furthermore, it should not escape attention that the creation of a second PN naval station in Souda offers a “backup”, a valuable reserve of the Fleet in the inevitable event that the Salamis naval station becomes a target of the enemy.
With the creation of a navastham in Crete, equivalent to Salamis, half of the Fleet will be able to dock. At the same time, however, the ships will not only have refueling facilities there, but there will also be maintenance and repair facilities and infrastructure, just like in Salamis.
In addition, permanent docking of many units means that housing infrastructure for Navy personnel and their families will also be needed. This is an element that makes many in the PN not be so optimistic about the implementation of the project, or at least about its immediate implementation.
For example, permanently stationing 5 frigates in Souda (with a crew of 150) would require the construction of infrastructure for them and their families, a total of 2,250 people. In other words, they need both funds and human resources.
