Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) - Greece is to advance the mutual defense interests of the United States and the Hellenic Republic through the administration of a proactive Security Assistance program, partnered alongside a robust Defense Cooperation In Armaments mission.  All of these efforts are done in concert with both the US Department of State as well as the US Department of Defense’s European Command, which was largely responsible for channeling  the vast majority of Marshall Plan aid to Greece and the rest of Western Europe during post-War reconstruction, and the ensuing Cold War.

Note:  For U.S. companies interested in doing business in Greece, or Greek companies interested in sourcing U.S. products or services, please visit the U.S. Commercial Service.

ODC Objectives 

The objectives of our Security Assistance mission are to promote continued modernization of the Hellenic armed forces, to improve interoperability of equipment and procedures, and to provide Greece with the capability to deploy combat-ready forces in support of NATO’s collective security efforts.  Main thrusts in these regards include:

• Execution of our Foreign Military Sales program, in which we sell US-origin defense equipment to Greece
• Execution of our International Military Education and Training program, in which we provide almost $1M annually, at no cost to Greece, in US-based technical and postgraduate training, to include Master’s degrees and Ph.D.’s, to Hellenic military personnel
• Execution of our Excess Defense Articles program, which provides used US defense equipment at  low or no cost to allied partner countries and has proven highly effective in equipping NATO members in their collective security efforts
• Seeking engagement with our Greek military counterparts in combined US-Greek military excercises and training opportunities.  Such engagements have dramatically enhanced the warfighting capabilities of both US and Greek forces, as we continually learn from and improve upon each other’s tactics, techniques, and procedures.  

Our Security Assitance objectives (as well as our four main thusts, above) are most efficiently and cost-effectively developed within a highly-competitive and free marketplace, so ODC also works to ensure truly free market access and opportunities for U.S. defense businesses, while at the same time we sustain good bilateral working relationships with the Government of Greece, and work to maintain Hellenic support for U.S./NATO bases and activities in Greece.

Defense Cooperation in Armaments

Our distinctly separate Defense Cooperation in Armaments mission seeks to engage host nation industry in the research and development of primarily defense-related technologies.  Our Defense Cooperation in Armaments mission links Greek businesses to USG programs and offices which can provide a full suite of services including engineering expertise, product tailoring, research & development, and financial assistance to Greek companies interested in doing predominately defense-related business with the US government or US defense industry.  Through direct contract awards with the US government, and/or linking your company up with US defense industry partners, ODC can provide your company with the visibility it needs to successfully compete in the global defense industry marketplace.