The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Thursday, August 19, 2010

56,000 U.S., troops remain in Iraq..[ 1668 ]

U.S. says troop numbers in Iraq at 56,000




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By Ross Colvin
WASHINGTON | Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:33pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. troop strength in Iraq is 56,000, a senior Obama administration official said on Wednesday evening, correcting his earlier statement the troop level was down to the 50,000 level Washington has targeted for the end of the month.

"I had incorrect information," the official said.

NBC News reported earlier on Wednesday night that the last U.S. combat troops had left Iraq. An NBC reporter traveling with the 4th Stryker Brigade drove through the night and arrived in Kuwait just before 4 a.m. local time on Thursday, with TV footage showing the convoy rolling through the border gates and the gate shutting as the last vehicle passed through.

That report set off a flurry of media interest in the drawdown, which will be a milestone in the seven-year war launched under Republican President George W. Bush.

But it appeared that even if a combat brigade was on its way out of the country, it did not mean the U.S. combat mission was ending ahead of target.

The Obama administration has said it expects to draw down troop levels to 50,000 by August 31, ending the combat mission and leaving those who remain to train Iraqi armed forces and police units.

Meeting that deadline will mean President Barack Obama is on target to keep his assurances to Americans that all U.S. forces will be out of Iraq by the end of 2011, even as he struggles with a difficult conflict in Afghanistan. Obama faces a war-weary U.S. public as his fellow Democrats seek to hold on to their control of the U.S. Congress in elections in November.

Bush launched the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. But the war became unpopular among Americans as U.S. deaths mounted. As of Wednesday, the Defense Department said there were 4,419 U.S. military deaths since the invasion.

While violence has dipped sharply since the height of sectarian warfare from 2006-2007, Iraq is still extremely fragile and its leaders have not resolved a number of politically explosive issues that could easily trigger renewed fighting.

Obama has said not a single U.S. service member will remain in Iraq come January 1, 2012, and with opinion polls showing Americans tired of nearly a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, any decision to extend U.S. military involvement in Iraq would be enormously risky for Obama, who is up for re-election in 2012.

He would almost certainly face a backlash from Democrats in Congress and from the left wing of his party, which is already disenchanted with him.

The war in Iraq has gone on longer than the U.S. Civil War, World War One and World War Two.
(Editing by Peter Cooney and Philip Barbara)
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