By Brian Williams
ATHENS (Reuters) - A secret Athens Olympics security operation involving several hundred American troops started Wednesday, the day after Greece's new conservative prime minister took the troubled Games under his personal wing. While there is a news blackout on the operation, code-named "Hercules Shield," Greek military sources said U.S. forces would mainly play a command and control role for 2,000 Greek troops.
Practice scenarios that would be played out ranged from a so-called home-made nuclear "dirty bomb" to a ship hijack.
Far left groups and anarchists plan a demonstration at the U.S. embassy later Wednesday to protest American involvement.
With the clock ticking to lighting the Olympic Flame in just two weeks and the Games opening ceremony in five months, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis signaled no more excuses would be accepted for failure to meet deadlines on getting venues, transport infrastructure and security arrangements ready.
In naming a new cabinet after sweeping socialists from power in a Sunday election, Karamanlis took personal control of the ministry responsible for Olympic preparations.He appointed former Greek commando Giorgos Voulgarakis head of the ministry in charge of security and named civil engineer Giorgos Souflias to run the public works ministry responsible for major building projects like transport.He chose as defense minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos, who as the shadow minister in opposition often accused the socialists of receiving kickbacks in return for defense contracts.
Source:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=sportsNews&storyID=4534741 
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