VZCZCXRO9666
OO RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTH #0184 0261407
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 261407Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7968
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/NAVSUPPACT SOUDA BAY GR PRIORITY
RUEAHQA/HQ USAF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USAFE COMMAND CENTER RAMSTEIN AB GE PRIORITY
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI PRIORITY 0871

UNCLAS ATHENS 000184 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR MCAP MASS NATO PREL PINR TU GR
SUBJECT: INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER: GOG NAMES NEW AIR FORCE CHIEF 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) On January 23, the Greek Committee on Foreign Policy and 
Defense (KYSEA) chaired by PM Karamanlis replaced retiring Chief of 
the 
Air Force General Staff Lt. General George Avlonitis with Lt. 
General 
Ioannis Giangos, presently chief of Tactical Air Force HQ (HTAF). 
Rumors that the GoG was also planning to replace Naval Chief of 
Staff 
Admiral Dimitrios Gousis proved false, and Gousis will continue into 
 
his third year.  Chief of Defense (CHOD) Admiral Chinofotis will 
also 
continue into the third year of his tenure. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) General Giangos assumed the HTAF command on September 17, 
 
¶2004.  In his capacity as top operational commander of the Hellenic 
Air 
Force, as well as commander of NATO's Combined Air Operations Center 
 
(CAOC) 7 Larissa, Greece, Giangos was a daily interlocutor of CHOD 
Chinofotis on the sensitive issue of Turkish flights into the Athens 
 
Flight Information Region (FIR).  Press reports claim that 
cooperation 
between Giangos and Chinofotis was always "exceptional." 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) General Giangos is well and favorably known to the 
Embassy. 
He helped create the first Hellenic Air Force F-16 squadron, has 
over 
3,000 hours in the F-4 and F-16, and attended F-16 training in the 
U.S. 
He is regarded as favorably disposed towards the United States and 
works well with CHOD Chinofotis. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Perhaps the biggest non-news story of the KYSEA meeting, 
however, was the lack of any discussion about Chinofotis continuing 
in 
his current position for a third year, despite the fact that past 
practice has been for the replacement of CHODs after two or 
two-and-a- 
half years.  Chinofotis is widely recognized as amongst the best 
CHODs 
Greece has had, and we have found him to be an excellent 
interlocutor. 
 
Ries