It is announced that on 14 October 2008, the NMIOTC was inaugurated by the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. Ioannis Plakiotakis, who raised the Greek and NATO flags.

The ceremony was attended by the Chief/ HNDGS, Gen. Dimitrios Grapsas, the  Supreme Allied Commander, Transformation, Gen. James N. Mattis USMC, who handed the NATO flag to the NMIOTC commander, Commodore Ioannis Zouzias, the Fleet Commander in Chief, Vice Admiral I. Karaiskos and the Deputy Chief/ HNGS, N. Vazaios.

Religious, political, local and military authorities graced the ceremony with their presence.

The establishment of NMIOTC was agreed upon at the NATO Defence Ministers Conference, in June 2003, in the framework of the Alliance Transformation.   Its mission is to provide joint training to NATO units aiming at enhancing their capability in carrying out surface, air and underwater surveillance missions, as well as conducting special operations to support Maritime interdiction missions.

The term Maritime Interdiction incorporates all operations aiming at forbidding individuals and material to be transported from and to a region.

The NMIOTC cooperates with the Supreme Allied Command, Transformation (SACT) together with the other NATO training establishments. It is responsible for the training of the Alliance naval units and partners on Maritime interdiction operations, so as to be capable of conducting such operations, in accordance with NATO standards and procedures. Apart from providing training, the NMIOTC participates in NATO transformation process by submitting proposals to SACT regarding the change of doctrines, tactics, procedures and equipment in  the continuously changing field  of Maritime Security operations.

The NMIOTC has been constructed in a site of considerable strategic importance and is financed with national resources. It serves the allied vessels redeploy in the area during the operations.

The staff of NMIOTC is comprised of personnel of the Hellenic Armed Forces as well as of the member-states of the Alliance. At present, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and the Czech Republic have assigned officers.

The NMIOTC coat of arms bears an anchor and a saber in sheath on a background of the Greek map. The Greek map stand for the nation hosting the Center, the anchor stands for its naval structure, while the saber in sheath represents its mission, which is the upgrading of special operations. The anchor and the saber in sheath are in one plexus. They have the same color to symbolize the “Maritime Power”.

                                                                                  
                                                 LTC Dimitrios Bonoras
                                                  HNDGS Spokesman