The United Arab Emirates has been subjected to an unprecedented series of ballistic missile and drone attacks since Jan. 17. In response, the United States and France both scrambled to reassure Abu Dhabi that they militarily support its defense and security. Will Greece, which signed a strategic agreement with the UAE in 2020, follow suit?
In early February, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. military would deploy fifth-generation F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG-67) to help bolster Abu Dhabi’s defenses against these attacks. On Feb. 6, U.S. Marine General Frank McKenzie, the head of Central Command (CENTCOM), also visited the UAE to reiterate strong U.S. support.
French Defense Minister Florence Parly similarly said that France would militarily support the UAE and help it defend its airspace. The UAE announced the activation of a joint defense agreement between the two countries on Feb. 4 to “confront failed terrorist attempts.”
French Air Force Dassault Rafale multirole jets based in Abu Dhabi will help bolster the Emirati military’s capabilities to confront such attacks, Parly said.
While Greece has a much smaller military a similar offer of support commensurate with its size and capabilities would undoubtedly be something its wealthy Gulf ally would warmly welcome.
Greece and the UAE signed a strategic partnership agreement in November 2020. The agreement calls for each country to come to the other’s aid if their territorial integrity is threatened.
In August 2020, the UAE deployed a small number of its air force F-16s to the Greek island of Crete in a clear show of support for Athens when Greece was engaged in the most intense air and naval standoffs with Turkey in the Aegean Sea in decades. A reciprocal move from Greece less than two years later could strengthen their nascent strategic agreement.
Perhaps Athens could send some of its six newly-delivered Rafale jets, the first of 24 it recently ordered from France. By doing so, Athens could show that it takes its strategic agreement with Abu Dhabi seriously. It could simultaneously seize an opportunity for its pilots to acquire additional training alongside the French Air Force and possibly even attain combat experience against drones. That could prove invaluable for the Hellenic Air Force, especially considering Greece is becoming increasingly concerned about Turkish drone activity over the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
However, such a scenario may prove highly unlikely since Greece is wary that its deployment of military forces abroad could be perceived or characterized as anything other than defensive in nature.
It would, therefore, more likely offer to send, if anything, one or more of its MIM-104 Patriot missile batteries.
Houthi drone and missile attacks are new for Abu Dhabi. On the other hand, they are not new to its neighbor and ally, Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has faced so many missile and drone attacks from the Houthi rebels in Yemen in recent years that its stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles are running dangerously low.
Previous Greek military assistance to Saudi Arabia, with which Athens also has close relations, could serve as an apt precedent for the kind of support it may be willing to offer the UAE.
Last April, Greece signed a deal with Saudi Arabia to lend it one of its Patriot batteries to help protect critical energy facilities in the kingdom against drone and missile attacks. Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos described the move as “a big step forward for our country regarding the cooperation with the Gulf countries and also a contribution to the wider security of the energy sources for the West.”
The battery was deployed in September along with 120 Greek personnel who will remain there for “an undetermined length of time to strengthen the country’s air defenses,” according to Greek media.
Greece may opt for a similar deployment to the UAE. After all, a deployment of Greek Rafales, very sophisticated aircraft with offensive deep strike capabilities, to the UAE could result in protests from Iran, something Athens would wish to avoid.
Ahead of the Saudi Patriot deployment, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias stressed that the “missiles are not offensive weapons; they are defensive weapons. They are not directed against anyone. They defend one’s airspace.”
“Just to be clear,” he went on to stress. “Greece does not project aggressive power anywhere.”
In line with that stated policy, a Patriot deployment to the Emirates would be much more likely than a deployment of Rafales or even F-16s. While the UAE already has one of the most extensive air defense networks in the world, a tangible show of support from its Greek ally now could, nevertheless, go a long way in cementing and strengthening their growing strategic and defense ties.
