It is announced that “ CMX 2008 “ Exercise was conducted from 16 to 22 April 2008 on the premises of the HNDGS. It was an exercise on humanitarian crisis management within NATO. Its purpose was to test procedures of consultation, cooperation and common decision-making at political and military level. The exercise is conducted on an annual basis under NAC direction.

Personnel from NATO and PfP member- states participated in the exercise. Representatives of the Ministries of National Defence, Foreign Affairs, Interior- Public Administration (Civil Defence General Secretariat, Hellenic Police, National Intelligence Service), Merchant Marine- Aegean – Island Policy, of the General Secretariat of Information and Communication as well as of the HNDGS and the other three General Staffs attended the exercise, at national level.

The scenario of the exercise included the outbreak of a crisis on an imaginary island (ROKE) in the Indian Ocean, during which the relations of the states of the island rapidly deteriorated. As a result, the evacuation of the citizens of the area, Greeks included, was deemed necessary: for security purposes. To note that, an evacuation mission was organized by the Greek Side, following a request for the evacuation of citizens of third countries (Armenia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, FYROM, Portugal).

The Multinational Strategic Sea-lift Coordination Center of the HNDGS greatly contributed to the success of the exercise. It proceeded to all necessary procedures for the charter two merchant ships and two civil a/c to be used for the scenario purposes.

                                LTC Char. Laloussis 
                                HNDGS Spokesman