The Alternate Minister of National Defence, Dimitris Vitsas, attended and addressed, on Tuesday, 23 January 2018, the pie cutting ceremony of the General Directorate of Defence Armaments and Investments (GDAEE), held at the Hellenic Armed Forces Officer’s Club.

The Alternate Minister of National Defence stated the following in his speech:

“Lately, many times, the main duty of the General Directorate of Defence Armaments and Investments was not really been to open files, due to the fiscal tightness, but rather to close them. That is, we try to resolve issues, which had been kept in the closet for years, in some other way. Today though, we are able to draft a better plan for the years to come. Meaning that we are aware of the Armed Forces’ needs and at least, we are aware of what is left for the next five years. That means that we can put pressure on the Staffs to organize things more specifically.
We want 2018 to be, and it will be, a very important year for the General Directorate of National Armaments and Investments and for all of us. I have stated before the Parliament that in 2018 and specifically before May, we will have concluded the procurement Act. The General Directorate of Defence Armaments and Investments has already completed the first part. As of February a substantial debate will take place in the Parliament. It will also be attended by defence industry representatives, along with the Staffs, so that we end up with a law that fights bureaucracy and is flexible, a law that can be used, because at the moment this is not the case.
     

This concludes the issue of the Armed Forces reorganization. This is a very important issue, because we detect the needs and leftovers. So, we ask the General Staffs for a three years, five years schedule, etc. This is very important, so that the General Directorate of Defence Armaments and Investments can plan ahead.
2018, and the last part of 2017, is a year that includes final decisions in its planning. The final decisions regarding helicopters were made, we still have to make decisions regarding combat aircraft, and the reinforcement of the Navy and the Army. This way, we can pave the way to the future, and secure the defence of the country.
In this context, by all means, the General Directorate of Defence Armaments and Investments does something more, that is an effort to reinforce the extrovert activity of defence industries. This is very important. Our participation in international exhibitions, with the support of other State agencies, helps to develop our relation with other companies and states worldwide.
Another important issue to be solved is the one of the Shipyards and the Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Sector in general. For us, in the Defence Sector, of even greater importance, is the changes to be implemented in the Shipyards to drive our shipbuilding and ship repair policy to another level, so that this sector, which has been a dynamic but ‘obsolete’ one for a decade, can at least be reactivated and provide us with some new potential.
This practically means that we will depend on the companies which are under State control, meaning that we will provide them with the potential and means to do their job, which is to be reformed. Surely this means that they must have the required personnel and cooperate with companies of the private sector as well, so that they can carry out their duties.
This does not at all mean that we will forget the companies of the private sector. There is also a need for private sector companies to develop and grow.
By raising this issue and by intensifying our efforts through the alliances and the agreements concluded with other states in our region, we can exploit the new European Union framework as well. In particular, we can exploit PESCO, as an agreement, on which we worked hard, so that regional enterprises are included, in order for the whole thing, the current budget, not go to foreign big merging companies.
Along with my wishes, I would like, on one hand, to ask  the Staffs to remain focused on their duties and the General Directorate of Defence Armaments and Investments to be less bureaucratic and more flexible in resolving issues and to be closer to the defence industry in general and on the other hand, I ask the defence industries to show their full potential and develop the cooperation among them and any other international cooperation they may achieve. We have proved that we can achieve a lot in this field. I would like to conclude by stating that the first certification was completed in 2017. This is an important step and it must go further. It is very important to proceed with certifications and use them in your export activity’’.