I
t has combat-effective Armed Forces that not
only ensure our territorial integrity and inde-
pendency, but also contribute in such a man-
ner that our country, even nowadays, in the diffi-
cult years of a long economic recession, contin-
ues to be a lasting factor that guarantees stability
in its wider region.
The contribution of the Hellenic Armed Forces to
security and the establishment of peace in the
wider region is commonly acknowledged. It is our
belief that this fact is one of the most dynamic
components of Greek economy. Our strategic aim
is also to reconstruct our productive capacity. We
cannot speak about reconstruction of production
without also including our defence industries.
Marking this is our priority, and was established
with a joint official on-site survey at one of the fac-
tories of our defence industry, together with the
Deputy Minister of Defence, Nikolaos Toskas,
shortly after assuming our duties. During this sur-
vey we came across the great wealth, cutting-
edge technology and expensive machinery
owned by that industrial unit of Hellenic Defence
Systems S.A. (EAS).
But today, our national defence industry is sacri-
ficed on the altar of the united European defence
policy, which is driven by six European Union
countries that account for 87% of the industrial
production of defence material, as well as
Brussels’ bureaucracy.
The new National Defence Industrial Strategy that
is about to be elaborated, except from the estab-
lishment of a new Common Defence Industrial
Carrier under the state’s control, and with the aim
Trade with Greece
24
Greece, a country on the southern edge of the
Balkan Peninsula, on the border with Eastern
Europe and the Middle East, and a member
of the European Union from its early years,
has an established geostrategic position that
is amplified by its participation to major
international organizations.
The contribution
of Hellenic Armed Forces
to security and the
establishment of peace
By Kostas Isichos,
Alternate Minister of National Defence
