Aug 8, 2021 - World

Senator asks Pentagon to help Greece fight wildfires

Ivana Saric

A local resident gestures as he holds an empty water hose during an attempt to extinguish forest fires approaching the village of Pefki on Evia (Euboea) island on Aug. 8. Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) penned a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging the Pentagon to provide additional support to Greece as the country battles devastating wildfires.

State of play: Dozens of wildfires broke out in Greece last week after the country suffered its worst heatwave in decades. They have continued to rage unabated and forced hundreds to evacuate.

Greece has deployed its army to fight the fires and has received international assistance from Cyprus, France and Israel. Germany also said it would send firefighters and vehicles.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the situation a "nightmarish summer," adding the government's priority "has been, first and foremost, to protect human lives."
Extreme heat waves are also among the clearest manifestations of human-caused global warming, studies show.

The big picture: Menendez said he applauded a decision by the Department of Defense to deploy a P8 aircraft to Greece to help monitor for "threats to infrastructure and residential areas."

"These efforts have saved lives and I urge the Department to fulfill additional requests for assistance, including the deployment of CH-47 helicopters," Menendez wrote.
"Greece is a close and valued NATO ally. I urge the Administration to take all measures necessary to support the people of Greece in their time of need," he added.

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Senator asks Pentagon to help Greece fight wildfires

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