Several recent high-profile visits by dignitaries, including the United States Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio and Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, to Greece have major strategic significance.
Greece gaining importance: The recent visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Greece was very significant, as it once again reaffirmed commitment to further strengthen their longstanding defense and security cooperation. The United States and Greece announced $4 billion in Foreign Military Sales in support of Greece’s long-term defense plan to deepen interoperability and to explore future opportunities for defense industrial base cooperation, including on innovative technologies.
Greece plans to spend this amount to upgrade more of its F-16 fighter jets and buy advanced missiles from the US. Greece already has a plan to ramp up its defence with US-made F-35 fighter jets and helicopters and build the “Achilles Shield,” a multi-layer anti-ballistic and anti-aircraft system with Israeli-made weapons on which it will be spending about €28 billion by 2036. Both the US and Greece are members of NATO and seek to ramp up defence cooperation further, even as there has been no love lost between the US and other partners, including France and the United Kingdom.
Close on the heels of a visit by Rubio, India’s top defence bureaucrat Rajesh Kumar Singh visited Greece to deepen its defence cooperation with European partners and meet the shared security challenges.
Both nations share interests in the security of the Middle East and Red Sea region, which affect both economies and trade routes. Both nations rely heavily on open, secure sea lines of communication (SLOCs) connecting the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea—particularly through critical choke points like the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Greece has been a reliable partner of India in Europe, which supports India’s stand on Jammu and Kashmir and its membership in a reformed and expanded UNSC. India has similarly shown consistent support to Greece on its core international interests, particularly on the Cyprus issue and its positions on maritime issues with Turkey.
Similarly, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Greece in April this year, during which it was decided to renew the Defence pact for a further five years and boost defence and naval cooperation. This binds both the nations to come to each other’s aid if an attack or a direct threat to sovereignty occurs. It covers other areas such as naval modernization by integrating advanced French hardware, such as the Belharra-class frigates, air power integration with deployments of around 24 Dassault-made Rafale fighter jets, and cooperation in missile and defense systems support.
The strategic projects to get a boost: The US, France, Greece, and India, along with other countries, are stakeholders in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Greece will not only serve as IMEC’s European maritime gateway but, with its advanced shipping and port system, could emerge as a logistics hub and security partner. On 19 February 2026, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and reiterated Greece’s willingness to participate in IMEC.
Greece is also cooperating with Israel to develop its air-defence system against ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones called Achilles Shield. Various Israeli systems, David’s Sling, SPYDER and BARAK MX, will be deployed, which will boost defence and security in the region.
As US-Turkish relations are deteriorating, Greece is looking at ways to fill this gap in the Mediterranean with several initiatives. For example, Greece recently formalised participation in the US National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program with Florida. It will deepen military training, professional exchanges and operational cooperation between the two forces.
Greece is looking beyond the traditional partners to nurture more robust relations with the UAE, Egypt and Iraq. Especially Athens and Cairo are working together to counter Turkey’s maritime claims in the Mediterranean.
However, the entry of new players in the strategic domain in the region is also fraught with danger for Greece. For example, if Turkey achieve detente with Egypt or Israel, it may have wider ramifications. Also, the geopolitical rivalries between European and Middle Eastern partners could also give rise to new tensions and differences which could outpace Greek diplomatic pace and maneuvering. Greece will have to continue navigating these regional risks to establish its influence in the region more strongly.
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