Multinational Special Forces Exercise 'Orion-25' This Month

The multinational exercise Orion-25, conducted this month in Greece, involved personnel and equipment from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, Switzerland, the United States, and Greece. The event was a nearly two-week training exercise organized and coordinated by the Greek army general staff and concluded on Friday.

During the drills, top Greek military leadership observed the proceedings, with diplomats and foreign military liaison officers attending on a Distinguished Visitors Day held midweek. The exercise focused primarily on special forces operations across land, sea, and air domains. Training took place in western Attica, particularly around the Pachi Megara range and the adjacent bay.

“During this year’s exercises, personnel and equipment were deployed by the armed forces of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, Switzerland, the United States and host country Greece.”

“The ORION exercise has been conducted annually since 2018, and since 2021 has included participation by special forces units from friendly and allied countries.”

Key activities reportedly included parachute jumps, maritime interdiction operations (including visits, board, search, and seizure training), direct action and close combat attacks, amphibious assaults, drone training, airdropped container deliveries simulated on a battlefield, and evacuation of personnel via SPIES (Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction Systems). A CH-47 helicopter was used to retrieve a boat as part of the exercise scenarios.

The Greek Ministry of National Defense announced plans to provide 17,000 fully equipped homes for military personnel and their families across remote Greek regions and islands, with phased construction and upgrades planned through 2040. This broader defense initiative accompanies the Orion-25 exercise, underscoring efforts to strengthen national resilience and international interoperability.

“The main concept of Orion – 25 was to deepen mutual understanding, trust, and cooperation among the participating countries, as well as to maintain a high level of readiness through working in a multinational environment.”

Overall, the exercise showcased enhanced interoperability among participating nations’ special operations forces, reinforcing regional defense ties and readiness for multinational joint operations.

Author’s summary: The Orion-25 exercise in Greece brought together eight nations to practice diverse special operations across land, sea, and air, while highlighting Greece’s broader defense initiatives to modernize housing for service members and strengthen international cooperation.

tovima.com — 2025-11-15

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