The changes in the armed forces at any political cost to meet the challenges of the modern age, N. Dendias stressed
The reforms we are moving on to Armed force It is not a potential choice in the country. It is a term of national survival after the huge changes that have taken place in the last decade at both geopolitical and technological levels. The challenges of the modern age are not treated with hundreds of camps that plant but with mergers and an increase in completeness. The same is true for other changes. I am not hurting the political costs and I am willing to take over. This, in an interview with the newspaper “Parapolitika” and the journalist Mr. Papachliminzo, the Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias
“We owe it,” he explained, “to respond to the new conditions through a holistic – and not fragmentary – approach, with a series of reforms starting with the modern fighter’s uniform and equipment and reach the development of innovative media and 20 years of essentially equipment (12).”
He made it clear that “changes will move on to all levels” and added that a significant portion of the reforms “concerns the armed forces personnel, our main power multiplier” such as the residential program, increases in earnings after 15 years.
For the war in Ukraine, Mr Dendias said that “he proved that military superiority in the 21st century is not judged by the number of weapons systems, but by their combinations, responding speed and field awareness.”
“Unmanned systems – aerial and terrestrial – offer accuracy, flexibility and often business advantage. They do not negate the value of state -of -the -art fighter aircraft. They reinforce it. It is indicative that in the context of the operation of the Hellenic Defense Innovation Center (ELKAK), 4 of the 10 Research and Development Programs concern the development of unmanned systems, ”he added.
For our Air ForceHe pointed out that “it is upgraded through the inclusion of Rafale aircraft, continuing the upgrading of the F-16 Block 50 into Viper and in particular Greece’s integration into the F-35 program”.
In particular, as he said, “Our participation in the F-35 program is a technological and operational leap to the future. This is not just aircraft. These are combat platforms, fully integrated into network -centric management, control and communication systems. “
“This option,” he continued, “is part of the new national doctrine of deterrence, which has the core of “Achilles’ shield” – A multi-level dome of anti-aircraft, anti-ballistic, anti-drone, anti-submarine protection. It is a consolidated architecture that allows full use of the operational capabilities of each system, on land, sea and air. New aircraft and warships are released from spatial defense, now taking on a strategic role. All of the above works in combination. This is an investment in synergy. “
For the Armed Forces’ residential program, he reiterated that “the state’s commitment to the mission of the Armed Forces must be transformed into a care for the executive wearing the uniform.”
“The Armed Forces’s residential program,” he said, “began in August 2023, with the recording of existing houses, the imprinting of needs and the preparation of the necessary studies. At the same time, the construction of 357 houses across the country was completed. In May 2024, the funding of a total of 100 million euros was secured by the Public Investment Program, the first two construction phases of the residential program, to build 702 houses in 54 buildings in Thrace and the islands of the central and eastern Aegean. “
“The total of the first and second phase projects are in progress and the houses – with which the total number will rise to 1,059 – are expected to be completed and delivered for use in 2026. I recall that part of the new apartments (10 – 15%) will be used for critical, Cohesion, ”he added.
“In addition, the ministry has designed the next phases of the residential program, focusing on the border areas. We have already made a proposal for funding of 200 million euros for the construction of additional 1,500 houses in the eastern Aegean islands and in the prefecture of Evros. The goal is to cover 35% of existing housing requests by 2027, with the final horizon of the number of 4,000 apartments across the country by 2030, “the minister said.
For military serviceHe said that “new demands are being created in an army that is not as in other countries purely professional and is, rightly, based on the participation of the Greek citizen – gunman”.
“The term,” he explained, “must evolve in order to serve the modern needs of our homeland and at the same time be useful for young people. In this regard, the upgrading of basic education, as well as specialty training, is planned. They will now be integrated processes of acquiring extensive business knowledge. “
“After basic education,” he continued, “the hoplites who wish it will also be able to participate in certified skills acquisition and development programs that will help them in their later lives and their career path.”
‘Target’, as he made clear, “It is by 2030 to have a force of 150,000 active volunteer reserves, which can meet immediate business needs if necessary.”
“It also goes on,” he said, “the design of the voluntary term of women, whose implementation will be a great cut, providing access to the Armed Forces to a very important human capital.”
On military property, Mr Dendias was vertical saying that “it is not an inactive chapter. It is a functional and historical resource, whose management must be institutionally guaranteed and fully transparent. “
More specifically, he said, “The bill will be submitted to the exploitation of all the real estate of the Armed Forces in the near future.”
“Starting with the recording of real estate and the development of a complete digital real estate register, so that no infrastructure, no building, no piece of land remains out of supervision. The process will be constantly updated so that the state knows, evaluate and decide in specific criteria and unacceptable way. “
“In this regard, we are creating a statutory body for the unified management of military property. This body will not function as a profitable “real estate” mechanism, but as a business arm to produce the property in favor of the staff of all the Armed Forces, funding the residential program, “the Minister of National Defense said.
To strengthen the domestic defense industry, Mr Dendias described it as a “strategic choice” as he said “it is a fact that today’s domestic contribution to the needs of the Armed Forces is very low”.
“The new long -term program of defense equipment (BAEs) explicitly provides that equipment contracts will include a 25%Greek -added Greek -added involvement. In the direction of developing defense technology in our country, the role of the Hellenic Defense Innovation Center (ELKAK), which is the channel with the business field, is also important. “
“In any case, our goal is for Greece to claim a presence in technological developments and our defense industry to contribute to the development of the Greek economy and to the exploitation of the country’s human resources. We aspire for Greece to be no longer a country that spends billions on its defense and holds nothing about its production, ”he said.
“Our armed forces will now be not only buyers but also technology development contributors. After all, domestic production is not just an economic investment. It creates know -how, extroversion and highly specialized jobs. This is the real content of our strategy: ‘Defense with a Greek signature, ”he said.
For Greece’s potential to persuade European countries not to supply military equipment by TurkeyAh, Mr Dendias said: “The point is not to impose a decision on another country, but to highlight the wider consequences of such an option, which may exceed close economic or technical benefits.”
“We owe it,” he continued, “to move with persuasion and make it clear what is the deeper risk of such a decision. When a country introduces weapons systems from states that do not participate in the EU and do not embrace the same values and principles and respect for international law, then it is at risk not only to operate under the system of values that united Europe today expresses, but also to find it.
“The main danger behind this is the transfer of sophisticated know-how to Turkey. We must also not forget the goal of EU strategic autonomy. In the field of Defense and Support of the Domestic Defense Industry of its Member States. Security in Europe is a collective affair, ”he added.
“As a state located at the Union’s external borders and bears significant defensive burden, Greece has the institutional and moral basis to ask its partners to strengthen, and not to erode the European security system,” he said.
On the issue of the case of Tempi, he explained that “clearly concerns justice” while officially it was “extremely dangerous if Greek society ceases to have confidence in it”.
“It is,” he said, “but an issue that is judged by the political system as a whole. As a government, we must convince them that there will be plenty of light and investigating every aspect of the causes that led to the accident, dismantling once the arguments of allegedly concealment. It is our minimum debt to the families of the victims, as well as in the history of our lineup as a long -standing political power. “
“This tragedy,” he added, “that shocked and still shocked Greek society, condensed over time and failures of state functioning. With this perspective he must deal with the investigation of the accident and the opposition. Not as a “request for the fall of the government”. The Greek people are clear that they do not tolerate an attempt to conceal, but they do not sign the attempted tooling. “