The Deputy Minister of National Defence Mr.Nikolaos Chardalias visited the 116^th and 117^th Combat Wings, on Sunday, 12 December 2021, based at the Air Bases of Araxos and Andravida respectively. The Deputy Minister was welcomed by the Commanders of the Units, Colonel Petros Sassaris and Colonel Angelos Kaligaridis (117^th CW).

Mr. Chardalias, in the context of his visits, was informed by the Commands of the Hellenic Air Force Units about their organization, their mission, their operational work, as well as the challenges they face.

He also toured the premises of the Units and conversed with the personnel on duty, as well as with the crews and the technicians of the Readiness Aircraft of the 336^th and 338^th Squadrons.

The Deputy Minister of National Defence, addressing the Officers and NCOs of the Combat Wings, praised their decisive role in the reinforcement of our country’s deterrence power, stressing that “the personnel of our Hellenic Air Force, sparing no effort, struggles every day to defend Greece’s sovereign rights and national interests for our country to continue being a reliable power of peace and stability in the wider region”.

In the end, Mr. Chardalias visited, on evening hours, the Vaccination Centre of Patras, at the port of the city, which is staffed by healthcare and administrative personnel of the Armed Forces, and he was welcomed by its Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Nikolaos Raikos.

The Deputy Minister of National Defence was informed about the progress of the vaccination procedure, toured the modern premises and conversed with the doctors and nurses of the shift, as well as with vaccinated civilians.

He congratulated and thanked the personnel for the excellent organization and operation of the vaccination centre, which, as a result, offers high level services, as well as a significant contribution to the national effort of protecting public health.