Nato fleet to protect Olympics

Nato’s entire Mediterranean naval fleet will be assigned to protect the Olympics as part of the alliance’s unprecedented role in bolstering security for the games, the commander said today.

German Rear Admiral Hans Jochen Witthauer said all vessels under his command will work alongside Greek maritime forces to monitor the seas during the August Games.

“The entire force is ready and will participate during the Olympic Games,” Witthauer said following meetings with Greek naval officers in Piraeus.

The Standing Naval Force Mediterranean, based in Naples, Italy, includes more than a dozen frigates, destroyers and other vessels.

Witthauer refused to give details of Nato’s naval duties during the Olympics, but the force has been involved in anti-terrorism patrols throughout the eastern Mediterranean since shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington.

Nato plans to conduct surveillance flights over Greece, which asked for help from its allies to expand Olympic security.