In the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias, and the leadership of the Armed Forces, the official inauguration ceremony of the new facilities of the Information Technology and Cyberspace Directorate of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS) was held at Papagou Camp.

The new building, whose foundation stone was laid on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, was constructed through an exclusive donation of €5 million from the Athanasios K. Laskaridis Public Benefit Foundation and represents a significant investment in strengthening the HNDGS’s capabilities in the fields of Information Technology and Cyberspace.

It is a state-of-the-art three-level building with a total area of 2,500 square meters, which will house the Information Technology and Cyberspace Directorate and Unit 1864 of the HNDGS.

The new facilities and equipment have been designed in accordance with the most advanced international and allied cybersecurity standards and include infrastructure to support the Armed Forces in cyberspace operations.

“From today, our country will be even safer, especially in the sensitive field of cyberspace,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during his address at the inauguration of the new building of the HNDGS Information Technology and Cyberspace Directorate.

Inauguration of the Information Technology and Cyberspace Directorate Building at the Ministry of National Defence

“A new home which, as you heard, is a facility built to the highest standards,” the Prime Minister stressed, noting that “threats are increasingly taking on a hybrid character.”

“These are undeclared wars fought on unseen battlefields,” Mr. Mitsotakis said, referring to “a comprehensive plan for the transition of our national defence into the new era.” “Within this framework, the new Cyberspace Command building proves to be a key strategic asset,” the Prime Minister observed, explaining that at a time when artificial intelligence is making systems increasingly vulnerable, Greece is not remaining passive.

On the contrary, the country is evolving and reinforcing its defenses against both longstanding and emerging threats, Mr. Mitsotakis said, thanking Athanasios Laskaridis and his wife, Evi, for the donation of the new facilities.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Nikos Dendias

Mr. Athanasios Laskaridis

Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Dimitrios Choupis

“We must honor our benefactors because, in doing so, they can become an example for other affluent Greeks,” the Prime Minister commented, addressing Mr. Laskaridis. He noted that if the country’s 50 leading shipping families, whose combined wealth amounts to €50 billion, were to leave half of their wealth to a foundation, “a fund of €25 billion would be created.” This would mean supporting Greek society with €1 billion per year, the Prime Minister concluded.

Laskaridis: We are donating to the country a modern tool built to stand the test of time

“We are inaugurating a project that began 18 months ago, a facility built to high international standards,” Athanasios Laskaridis said during his remarks at the inauguration of the new Information Technology and Cyberspace Directorate building, which was completed through his exclusive donation.

A fully equipped data center was added to the original design so that “we could donate to the country a modern tool built to stand the test of time,” Mr. Laskaridis stressed, continuing the programme of donations he has launched in support of the Greek Armed Forces.

In recent years, several donations have been made, Mr. Laskaridis noted, describing this as positive but not sufficient, since “there is a great deal of dormant wealth in our country, particularly in the shipping sector.”

In fact, as a percentage of GDP, this wealth represents around 20% for Greek families, whereas the corresponding figure in the United States stands at 10%. At the same time, most major investments in Greece were made possible thanks to shipping capital, Mr. Laskaridis said, emphasizing that economic inequality and the concentration of wealth constitute a problem that ultimately undermines the economy itself.

Dendias: The Armed Forces are being transformed into an ultra-modern mechanism for intelligence gathering and processing

Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias, in his address, stressed that the “Agenda 2030” is consistently seeking “to transform the Armed Forces from a capable formation of personnel and systems into an ultra-modern mechanism of intelligence collection and information processing.”

“The world has changed; the Armed Forces must change,” he made clear.

He noted that “Agenda 2030” outlines “the path of this transformation,” emphasizing that the reform of the Armed Forces is a matter of national survival.

He made special reference to the new structure of the Armed Forces and the joint-service nature of the Information Corps, underlining that at the core of the changes lies software development and the utilization of new technologies.

He also recalled that the “Achilles Shield” has five layers and, beyond land, sea, and air, includes both cyberspace and space.

Regarding Unit 1864, he said that it possesses “capabilities for all types of cyber warfare operations,” adding: “The establishment of this national capability is based on a new structure with appropriate infrastructure and the continuous development of capabilities.”

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias

Kyriakos Mitsotakis greets Mrs. Evi Lazou-Laskaridi and Mr. Athanasios Laskaridis

Donor Mr. Athanasios Laskaridis with his wife, Evi Lazou-Laskaridi

Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis

Deputy Minister of National Defence Athanasios Davakis