Questions loom over air base’s security
The 111th Combat Wing at Nea Anchialos, near the city of Volos in central Greece, is considered one of the Hellenic Air Force’s jewels in the crown. The wing’s base is home to nearly half of Greece’s F-16 fighters, specifically 70 out of 154. It is multi-mission, with squadrons specializing in interception, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), attack and advanced training. The base hosts a weapons systems and ground equipment school. Its technical installations are modern and well-equipped for the maintenance and upgrade of the F-16s.
But the severe damage an out-of-control wildfire inflicted on an ammunition depot, which lies some distance from the main base, on Thursday has raised questions about the state’s ability to protect infrastructure crucial for national security. One person with a lengthy military service who spoke to Kathimerini on condition of anonymity said that the explosions at the depot hurt officers’ morale and affected citizens’ sense of security since it was widely assumed that such units have ironclad security against any type of threat.
According to military sources, the exploded ordnance was from older, but still useful, ammunition stored above ground. The newest weapons must be stored underground, in compartmented rooms accessed through special reinforced doors and, preferably, disassembled. The underground facilities are certified by NATO, they said.
An investigation that is under way to determine exactly what happened, but it should be mentioned that, even though police established a 3-kilometer exclusion zone around the base, citizens were seen roaming inside it on Friday.
The combat wing commander has already been removed.
