The Alternate Minister of National Defence Dimitris Vitsas in an interview he gave on Sunday, 22 October, 2017, on SKAI TV to journalist Giorgos Aftias, stated, among other things:

Regarding Prime Minister’s visit to the USA:

Prime Minister’s visit to the USA had specific goals and he achieved all of them. He met Greek Americans and Americans who have the possibility to invest in Greece. He spoke to a think tank in Chicago and Washington DC. He met representatives of very big companies. He met the President of the USA. He discussed with Ms. Lagarde the debt issue and we have the first potential results. He met the Vice President of the USA. This is something we must be glad for. If we want to think about it through the spectrum of the Greek hopelessness, it is our choice.

Regarding the upgrade of F-16 aircraft:

This request was submitted by Greece in February 2017. It is presented now as if the Prime Minister went to America and they discussed what will happen with the F-16 aircraft right that moment.

We sent a letter of interest which included two versions. The Americans, as they always do, get the most expensive and send it to the Congress. This agreement which was submitted to the Congress on 16 October and is about to leave the Congress on 2 November has a maximum limit of 2.4 billion dollars.

We know clearly that we must put on the table, on the one hand, our country’s need for security and, on the other hand, the capabilities of the budget. I am saying this because things are said either by ignorance or deliberately.
 
The Prime Minister and the competent staff have said it too that what we will spend for the upgrade of the F-16 amounts to 1.1 billion euro.

Regarding whether everything will be upgraded or not:

There are manners and forms with which you can have various upgrades. What matters is what will be upgraded to viper. We are considering a specific number, the vast majority of 123 aircraft.

Regarding where the upgrade works will be held:

This job, its biggest part, as far as software or the configuration of the radar etc. is concerned, will be held in America. Greek companies will participate in the assembly, the cable sets and other things which are manufactured in America and, first and foremost, the Hellenic Aerospace industry and a number of other companies which are related to this matter.

This agreement will be submitted to the Parliament. After we receive the offer of the Americans on 2-3 November, we consider it and the negotiation is conducted, we send them what is our final proposal.

We have 500 million euro per year in our budget to be spent for the maintenance, upgrade and targeted purchases. We have made a plan, so we can apply our budget planning. We do not ask for more money as Ministry of National Defence, and there will not be only the upgrade of the F-16, the Navy and the Army will be supported too.

We are talking about 1.1 billion euro in a decade which will be paid by 110 million euro per year.

2-4 aircraft will be sent to the USA to be modelled and a group of the main companies will accompany them; so they can watch because we have also a transfer of know how, along with a group from the Hellenic Air Force.

When the modernization begins here in Greece, two echelons from the USA will come here too to cooperate with one echelon from the Hellenic Air Force and one from the company that will have undertaken this responsibility towards the American government and towards us, so they can control that the job is done right and provide assistance for this. This is how we always do and this is not a new procedure.

When the agreement is implemented fully, there is no reason for us not to submit it to the Parliament. But, the Parliament must meet, as far as armament projects are concerned, under specific terms, because if we have a public debate about what we plan regarding the defence of the country, we are not alone in the world as you may realize.

The main issue is that our decisions have not been influenced, nor shall we be influenced by anyone, but only the needs and interests of the country. Interests of companies, interests of representatives or interests of their propagators do not regard us.

Regarding the statements of Nikos Filis:

I have a contrary opinion. I read his interview; it is a mixture of ignorance which should not exist in the sense that the entire argumentation is what was written on the first days by a number of newspapers which started to change their views afterwards.