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Naval Support Activity Souda Bay is located in Crete, one of Greece’s largest islands. The facility is operated by the United States of America, more precisely by the United States Navy. It is not just located in a very strategical point in Europe, but also in a dream scenario. Souda Bay is a natural formation that is almost 10 miles long. It is “protected” by a few hills, therefore it makes an excellent place for a military base. Other than that, the climate is perfect for any operations taken in the US Navy. The location is great, as it is close to Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East. It is among the most valuable American bases established in Europe. Other than that, the USA are highly appreciated in the area. The Cretan population has constantly supported the Americans during both World War I and World War II, not to mention about the more recent operations from Iraq.
Mission
The primary mission of NSA Souda Bay is to support any operations conducted by the US Navy. The base is in a standby mode, but always ready to step in when the unexpected situations arise. Its location gives it the chance to support any mission in Western Asia, Africa and Europe. It maintains advanced facilities to all the units hosted on site, not to mention about the aircrafts and ships, which are in an excellent shape.
In other words, support is the middle name of this base. Aside from the United States of America, the base is always ready to involve with the allied countries or the NATO responsibilities. Other than that, the alliance with Greece is just as important.
History
The history of NSA Souda Bay starts with the constant deployments of various ships to Crete, Greece. USS Alameda County was the first one to get there, between 1957 and 1962. Starting with 1962, USS Tallahatchie County took over. It was a constant apparition on the Cretan shores for about seven years. These were the first connections of the US Navy with the sunny lands of Greece. The ships were then used to deploy American personnel and deliver raw materials for the development of a new facility.
NSA Souda Bay was officially opened on May, 28-th, 1969. There were 14 troops deployed on site. They were the only ones responsible with the good going of the facility. A few years later, the staff reached close to a hundred members. The base was established to help and support the Mediterranean actions of the United States of America. The current name was given in the autumn of 1980, in order to define the particular actions on site better.
These days, the population has not increased too much. There are around 500 individuals hosted and only 240 of them are actual military troops. The others are Greek and American contractors providing various services. Some of the most important recent operations NSA Souda Bay was involved in include Operation Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
