Greece announced on Thursday a major revamp of its defense forces and the deployment of drone systems (UAVs) in all military bases in the country.
Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias presenting the new structure of the Armed Forces at the meeting of the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Parliament, said that 137 military bases and installations will close.
“We should move quickly to close 137 military installations. The concept of every city and a stadium, every village and a gym cannot apply to military installations.
“We must also enter the age of drones. Every unit of the Greek Army will have an anti-drone capability,” Dendias pledged.
In Greece, hundreds of military bases and installations have been created that have little defensive value. They were established to offer a sense of security to towns and villages across the country and help the local economies.
Dendias said that perhaps up to 250 military installations should close but admitted he was short of funds to invest in larger units. “A phased closure program has been drawn up and this is its first phase.”
Greece Defense Revamp: Reorganizing the Army
The Greek Minister also told lawmakers that he plans to reduce army formations. “We will eliminate more than 30 formations, and we will consolidate them so we can save manpower and increase firepower.”
He noted that currently there are units at Evros, on the Greece-Turkey border whose strength is short by more than 70 percent. At the same time, there is a unit in the Peloponnese with 30 percent more personnel. “This doesn’t make sense,” he stressed.
“It makes no sense to have 800 bases and installations, more than the United States.”
A key highlight of the proposed reforms is the establishment of a comprehensive air defense system. This initiative aims to protect both the Aegean islands and the mainland against a variety of aerial threats, including drones.
The plan includes deploying anti-drone technology alongside air defense missile systems capable of neutralizing short-, medium- and long-range threats.
Dendias said that the Greek Army must enter the age of drones. “Every unit of the Greek Army will have an anti-drone capability, and 3 out of 4 battalions we are creating will also have the ability to launch drones.”
Strengthening the Greek Navy
The Navy will acquire strategic strike capabilities that it has never had and will be able to project power. “Not just to defend the Aegean.”
The Minister of National Defense that the key defense projects include the modernization of frigates, the modernization of submarines, and missiles, the new Constellation frigate being designed with the United States, and the new corvette being designed with the European Union.
“All these programs will bring about 6 or 7 billion euros to the Greek shipbuilding industry in the next ten years,” Dendias stressed.
“The approach that exists in the ministry is to create an ecosystem of defense industries that can support the Armed Forces of the country. Let’s get away as much as possible from the mentality that ‘buy off the shelf,'” he explained.
Greece Airforce
For the Air Force, he said that the ministry is preparing a program to harmonize the various aircraft types that are still operational.
“We need to reach a ceiling of 200 fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft that would include the upgraded F-16 Vipers, the Rafales, and the F-35s when we get them.”
“This will allow us enormous economies of scale, freeing up human resources so that we can maintain the strongest Air Force we’ve ever had,” Dendias stressed.
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