Greek-American Lawmakers Push Bill for U.S. Military Presence on Aegean Islands
Proposal challenges Turkish demands, comes amid talks to expand U.S. - Greece defense cooperation.
WASHINGTON — Four U.S. Representatives — three of them Greek-American — have introduced a bill to establish an American military presence on certain Aegean Sea islands, a move at odds with both the Trump administration's position and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s demand for Greek troop withdrawals under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
The measure, sponsored by Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), comes as Athens and Washington negotiate revisions to their Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement, which currently centers on mainland and Crete-based installations.
While Greece seeks additional U.S. bases — including on Skyros, at the Petrochori firing range, and possibly at the Dalipis Army Base near Thessaloniki — Washington has so far resisted island deployments, The National Herald reports. The U.S. maintains a key naval facility at Souda Bay in Crete, plans $42 million in upgrades there, and continues operations in Alexandroupoli near the Turkish border.
The proposed expansion would directly test U.S. efforts to balance defense ties with both Greece and Turkey, even as regional tensions remain high and the war in Ukraine continues.
