The U.S.-led European large-scale military exercise “Immediate Response 25” took place in northern Greece on Wednesday, June 4th, marking one of the largest joint military operations in Europe this year.
According to information from the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command, “Immediate Response 25” started on May 26th and will continue until June 9th, with a total of approximately 12,000 troops mobilized. The exercise spans across eight countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Slovakia.
One of the key focuses of this exercise is the Petrochori and Xanthi areas in northeastern Greece, where around 2,000 U.S. troops are expected to be deployed for joint training with NATO allies from France, Bulgaria, Spain, North Macedonia, and Greece. The training includes live-fire shooting, airborne and amphibious operations, water crossings, air assaults, tank maneuvers, as well as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense training.
Greece’s 20th Armored Division will be participating alongside the U.S. National Guard from Tennessee and Vermont, as well as the 194th Engineer Brigade. Similar scenarios are simultaneously unfolding in multiple Eastern European countries with the aim of strengthening NATO forces’ coordination and response capabilities in scenarios such as cyber attacks and disruptions to critical infrastructure.
Last month, the Greek Ministry of Defense announced that the country’s Special Operations Command had conducted bilateral military exercises with U.S. forces in the Athens-Piraeus area from the end of April to May 8th, successfully completing the training. With the increasing reliance of U.S. military on Greek military facilities, the range in Petrochori has become a regular training base.
As “Immediate Response 25” unfolds, NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels on Thursday, June 5th, to discuss whether to accept U.S. President Trump’s proposal for allies to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in Brussels on the same day to participate in the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting and expressed confidence that NATO allies would support Trump’s significant defense spending request. He emphasized that this commitment must be put into action before the end of June in preparation for the summit in The Hague.