The American-Hellenic-Israeli Eastern Mediterranean Counterterrorism & Maritime Security Partnership

Photo: Congresso

WASHINGTON – On Monday, March 31, 2025, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) introduced H.R.2510: The American-Hellenic-Israeli Eastern Mediterranean Counterterrorism & Maritime Security Partnership Act of 2025, which was co-led by Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R-NJ), Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). This bipartisan bill, initiated by the American Hellenic Institute, would be the third piece of legislation to support the “3+1” partnership between Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, Israel, and the United States.

The introduction of this new legislation follows the success of The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 sections of The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 and The United States-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021 sections of The National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2022, both of which supported the “3+1” partnership and were co-led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his time serving as a U.S. Senator.

The core elements of the bill include; the establishment of interparliamentary and interexecutive security groups that will meet with Greek, Cypriot, and Israeli counterparts; authorization for the creation of multilateral training programs on counterterrorism and maritime security, CERBERUS (Counterterrorism Education for Readiness Building in the East-Mediterranean Region to Unify Security) and TRIREME (Training and Readiness Initiative for Regional East-Mediterranean Maritime-Security Enforcement); authorization for upgrades to CYCLOPS (Cyprus Center for Land, Open-seas, and Port Security) in the Republic of Cyprus and the Hellenic Navy base at Souda Bay, Crete in Greece; the establishment of Department of Defense strategies for “3+1” cooperation on counterterrorism and maritime security; authorization for increases in IMET (International Military Education and Training) funding; and the complete elimination of the remaining arms sales restrictions on the Republic of Cyprus.

AHI president Nick Larigakis released the following statement on the bill’s introduction:

“The American Hellenic Institute has been a longtime advocate of the importance of the “3+1” partnership between Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, Israel, and the United States. “3+1” is a powerful regional cooperation structure that should be utilized to the fullest extent to protect America’s interests, secure its international commerce, and to provide peace, stability, and safety in an area of great geopolitical importance. By initiating this new bill, AHI and congressional leaders on this issue aim to see the “3+1” partnership grow to the next level, especially in terms of security cooperation. AHI will continue its work in Washington, D.C. to push forward the passage of this critical next step. I thank our legislative director, Alexander Christofor, for his hard work initiating this legislation and getting it introduced on Capitol Hill.”

AHI legislative director Alexander Christofor, who is helping coordinate the bill’s passage, added that “This bipartisan action to support U.S. security by strengthening cooperation with our most reliable partners in the Eastern Mediterranean proves that this region’s importance is something that Congress can unite on. I’m proud that AHI is working with our nation’s policymakers to take this critical step.”

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) was the first NGO to officially endorse the bill outside of AHI. FDD’s Director of Government Relations, Tyler Stapleton, released the following statement:

“The American-Hellenic-Israeli Eastern Mediterranean Counterterrorism and Maritime Security Partnership Act is exactly the kind of strategic initiative the United States should prioritize to reinforce critical alliances, confront emerging threats, and promote regional stability. By institutionalizing cooperation with Israel, Greece, and Cyprus through the 3+1 framework, the legislation strengthens military interoperability, enhances intelligence fusion, and advances coordinated maritime security operations. FDD Action endorses this important effort to promote American leadership alongside democratic partners on the front lines of counterterrorism in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

In order for this policy to become law, in addition to passing this bill in the House of Representatives, a corresponding version will also need to be passed in the Senate. Additionally, an appropriations component in both chambers will be required to allocate the funding authorized.

AHI gives special thanks to Kathimerini and To Vima for their breaking coverage of the bill.