Sun, Sea and Soldiers: Tourists Get Front Row Seats to Greek Military Drills in Crete

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Tourists enjoying a morning swim or relaxing on sunbeds in Crete were given an unexpected close up view of a major multinational military exercise on Friday.

The annual Medusa 15 exercise, led by Greece and Egypt, concluded along the coastline near Maleme, outside the port city of Chania, featuring drone attacks, fast boat landings and simulated combat operations involving marines and special forces.

For some holidaymakers staying at nearby hotels, the military activity became an unexpected part of their vacation.

Louise Carr, from York in northern England, arrived in Crete late Thursday and said she was surprised by the scale and intensity of the exercise.

“I just saw that it was some kind of military exercise, but I must admit I didn’t expect it to be the scale that it’s been. We were just like: wow,” Carr said.

“I was very impressed. Very. You’d pay thousands to watch this, wouldn’t you?”

During the hour long drills on Friday, Greek military police established a cordon to prevent beachgoers from getting too close to the exercise area.

Greek and Egyptian troops moved through coloured smoke and onto the beach as military aircraft flew overhead. Jets and helicopters were also seen operating above the coastline.

The exercise began on September 10 and involved Greece, Egypt, France, Italy and Cyprus, reflecting wider efforts by Mediterranean countries to strengthen military cooperation.

The drills come amid heightened security concerns across the region, with conflicts, economic pressures and uncertainty over the future role of the United States prompting countries to strengthen defence partnerships and deterrence capabilities.

Greece has also expanded its defence cooperation with Israel. In August, Athens signed a €3 billion agreement with Israel for the development of a new multi layer air defence system known as the Achilles Shield.

Earlier this year, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also signed a major defence agreement, highlighting the growing number of military partnerships developing across the wider region.

Egypt deployed the helicopter carrier Gamal Abdel Nasser to participate in the Greek led exercise.

Military observers from Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Mozambique also attended.

For Polish tourist Michal Sitko, the exercise was an unexpected highlight of his holiday.

“I didn’t expect that. It was kind of amazing that it happened on my vacation,” he said.

“It’s just my first time in life, I think, I see something like that.”

The unusual scene offered tourists in Crete a rare view of military operations taking place just metres from a popular holiday coastline, turning an ordinary day at the beach into an unexpected military spectacle.

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