The United States wants to increase troop rotations into Greece and gain more access to bases that can facilitate missions stretching from the eastern Mediterranean into the Black Sea and Balkans, America's top diplomat in Athens said.

U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt said Washington and Athens are working on updating a longstanding defense cooperation agreement in order to enable a wider range of military missions. Currently, the U.S. military agreement with Greece is centered around operations at the U.S. Navy's base at Souda Bay. However, there is little room for growth at that longstanding military hub, Pyatt said.