On Tuesday 13 July 2021, on the opening day of the International Defence and Security Exhibition “DEFEA”, the Deputy Minister of National Defence Alkiviadis Stefanis participated in a series of meetings and activities. DEFEA is held at Metropolitan Expo from July 13th to July 15th 2021, under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defence.
The Deputy Minister of National Defence had a meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Mr. Marian Majer, during which they discussed matters related to the enhancement of intergovernmental cooperation in the fields of defence industry and training in the Armed Forces.
He also met the Director of Procurement of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), Mr. Patrick Fesquet. During his last visit to the NSPA headquarters, the foundations for the creation of communication channels were laid, so that the training of the Armed Forces personnel would be enhanced and the extent of possibilities for partnerships with a view to developing mutual opportunities would be explored. Upon the announcement by the Ministry of National Defence of the new armaments programme for the next five-year period, the possibility for strengthening the cooperation with NSPA is apparent, while at the same time Greek companies may increase their turnover and grow their productivity.
At the same time, the Deputy Minister of National Defence had a tour at the Exhibition’s pavilions and areas, where he was informed of the opportunities offered and had conversations with visitors and company executives.
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Finally, he announced the opening of the “Workshop with Industry: Opportunities offered by EU Defence capability development tools”, in which representatives from the HNDGS, the General Directorate of Defence Investments and Armaments (GDDIA), the Directorate General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS), as well as the President of the Hellenic Manufacturers of Defence Material Association (SEKPY), Mr. Anastasios Rozolis, participated:
“I would like to welcome you to the International Defence and Security Exhibition in Athens. We met today in this special event, organized by the Ministry of National Defence in cooperation with the European Defence Agency (EDA), dedicated to defence industry and the opportunities offered by the European Union’s capability development tools for defence.
Greece is located in an important geopolitical region on the southeastern borders of the European Union, near regions characterized by great instability. At the same time, it faces threats against its national security, expressed as a challenge against its sovereign rights. These circumstances require a high level of readiness of the Armed Forces coupled with continuous availability of weapon systems.
The Ministry of National Defence is making every prudential effort to build and maintain a powerful domestic defence industry, resulting in measures for research and development in the fields of security. The ways of cooperation of the Ministry of the Defence Industry for the development of joint solutions, the exchange of best practices and the acceleration of our joint progress is the guarantee for ensuring the uninterrupted functioning of the Armed Forces.
Faced with a self-evident need to adapt and manage changes, we perceive the role of the domestic defence industry as critical. For this reason, the aim is to coordinate our efforts and strengthen the cooperation.
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ur vision for the domestic defence industry is tripartite: First of all, it is operational. It should cover the operational needs of our Armed Forces. Second, it is required to be operation-oriented. Our defence industry should be competitive, targeted towards exports, so that it would contribute to the country’s total development. Finally, we consider the domestic defence industry to be a geopolitical capital. Building mutual trust between our carefully selected allies constitutes our priority that activates both the domestic defence industry and our Country’s geopolitical advantage.
The worldwide trend today is towards increased defence budgets and the refocusing on the promotion of cooperation capabilities development programmes. Although the effects of the pandemic may influence this trend, there are many key points that underline the need to create favourable conditions for the support of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). The cooperation and the coordination within the EU creates an advantage for all members.
The European Defence Fund (EDF) is one amongst the initiatives in the European defence area. Along with the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the Permanent Structure Operation (PESCO), new opportunities for industry have been opened. It is true that at a time when the competition between Great Powers is experiencing a revival, the technological advantage of each Nation is questioned, while at the same time an opportunity may be created. It is the opportunity that we need to take advantage of in order to move up to the next level, for the benefit of both the Armed Forces and the defence industry.
In the light of requirements and competition, the European defence industry develops and applies new technologies and state-of-the-art services. At the same time, the competitive prices constitute an important factor for supporting the European strategic autonomy.
We are aware that, if the usual work is carried out, the technological advantage will not be maintained. In fact, the battle will be lost. We need to change the way we function, in order to gain a technological advantage. Let’s redefine the way in which we are doing the tough work of placing new opportunities on an adequate scale for our fighters.
In this respect, EDA’s efforts are targeted at the cooperation with industry, based on a clearly defined set of prioritized actions, focused on the capacity development process, on the priority to Research & Technology and to Innovation, with a view to the total support of industry.
Another key point is EDA’s support in terms of partnerships and joint ventures relating to potential projects of the European Defence Fund within the framework of EDIDP / EDF Marketplace. I would like amongst other things to point out two aspects of these efforts. The importance given to innovation and the broadness that should characterize them.
Since 2018, the European Defence Agency organizes the “EDA Defence Innovation Prize”, whose main objective is to stimulate the defence innovation in Europe and to provide the opportunity to the non-traditional interested parties to show their know-how in fields pertaining to defence.
In Greece, we are taking the same approach. Thus, we recently initiated the 1st Defence Innovation Challenge, seeking solutions in the field of Situational Awareness, for the purpose of cultivating a spirit of innovation in our personnel, in our academic and research community and of course, in our field.
As regards the completeness of this issue, we would like to highlight the importance not only of the opening up of supply chains, but also of the transfer of know-how. For us, the integrated defence industry is a favourable objective. For this reason, our intention is to adapt to the ways that need to change, maintaining and renewing the unique and valuable aspects that have helped our defence industry to excel.
We participate in and we support all those initiatives that are aiming at promoting the European Integration in the field of Defence and Security and we believe that they are on the right track. We do not have all the answers yet; however, we believe that an integrated strategy with fully committed institutions may lead to success.
Before concluding, I would like to thank Mr. Jiri Sedivy, EDA Chief Executive and Mr. Alain Alexis Head of Unit EU Commission, DG Defence and Space, for being here today to share with us their valuable experience in and knowledge of these subjects”.
