Pompeo: USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams to dock at Souda Bay

During his visit to the US naval base at Souda Bay on Crete on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the base would become the home for US expeditionary sea base, the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams.

The ship has the capacity for four helicopters on its flight deck, can launch unmanned assets, and includes command and control systems.

Pompeo made the announcement during joint statements with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, noting that the US-Greek “military-to-military relationship has been enhanced significantly” following the signing of a Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement between the two countries last year.

The US envoy described Greece as a “true pillar of stability and prosperity” in the region, adding that the relationship between the US and Greece is “at an all-time high.”

He added that the US “strongly” supports dialogue between Greece and Turkey. 

Mitsotakis, for his part, noted that Greece is “against unilateral actions, adding that he is optimistic that “the time for diplomacy has arrived.”