Nikos Dendias outlined the changes and plans for the armed forces in his opening speech before the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Greek Parliament, presenting the 2024-2035 Armed Forces Structure.
As he said, “We are moving towards flexible units with high capacity. Currently, there are units in Evros with less than 30% capacity and a unit in the Peloponnese with 130%. It doesn’t make sense to have 800 camps, more than the USA. I need help, I know what it’s like to close military camps. We are closing 137 camps, and this should be completed by 2025. We’re doing this because we don’t have the money to close another 250.”
“At the same time, we will dismantle over 30 formations and consolidate others,” said the Minister of National Defense, also emphasizing, “We need to enter the era of drones, each unit will have the capability to defend against drones.”
The Navy and Air Force
Regarding the Hellenic Navy, he stated, “There will be a massive enhancement. It will gain capabilities it has never had in its history and will gain air defense capabilities in the region. It will, in other words, be able to project its power.”
As for the Hellenic Air Force, Dendias mentioned that “Air Force General Georgiadis has pushed for a program of standardizing aircraft types, aiming for a ceiling of 200 4.5 and 5th generation aircraft, including the upgraded Vipers, Rafales, and F-35s.”
“We’re aiming to save 2 billion euros just from operational expenses.”
The Minister of Defense also pointed out the need to move towards satellite communications and the creation of a Greek satellite, stating, “In order to operate these systems, we need to go to hidden satellite communications, and we need to have a Greek satellite,” adding that “we need to enhance our defensive and offensive cyber warfare capabilities.”
As he explained, “During the 10 years of the crisis, we missed 2.5 billion euros per year, leading to a total deficit of 20 billion euros. Where there is private help, it is welcome. This year we will exceed 20 million. The potential threat has a budget of 40 billion euros. We estimate that we will save 2 billion over the next decade from operational expenses, and this is the pessimistic scenario.”
Regarding the reserves, he described the need to move towards a new reality: “The numbers indicate the need for the country to address a threat from a population nine times larger; this requires innovation.”
Reform in Military Justice and Changes to Military Hospitals
A separate issue was the reform of military justice, with Dendias commenting, “There can’t be a naval court in Ioannina. There are a series of naval courts, military courts, and air force courts that serve no real purpose. The average military judge handles five cases a year, while political judges handle 25 cases a month.”
Specifically regarding military hospitals, he said, “We need to reform the system – balance sheets, accountability – and we will proceed with innovative approaches for better trauma units. We will utilize research from a Greek professor at Harvard who treated victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. There might also be another American unit like this in Germany.”
He also announced a program to support the families of military personnel, “the best in the public sector,” referring to what has happened in military schools: “Despite the fourfold increase in compensation and improvements to infrastructure, if we don’t change the career paths and how we support the system, in 10 years we won’t have any staff.”
