The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias attended on Monday 9 November 2026, the inauguration ceremony for the new Squadron building at the Hellenic Air Force Academy premises, in the presence of His Excellency the President of the Republic Konstantinos Tasoulas.
The inauguration ceremony began with the blessing of the waters. Immediately afterwards, the “Foundation Stone” was laid.
The construction of the new building for the Hellenic Air Force Academy Squadron was made possible by a donation from Rear Admiral Emeritus of the Hellenic Navy Panagiotis Laskarides, CEO of Lavinia Corp. and Laskaridis Shipping Co.Ltd., and President of the “Aikaterini Laskaridis” Foundation.
In his address, Mr. Dendias stated the following:
“It is with great pleasure that I am here today for the laying of the foundation stone for the new facilities of the 5th Hellenic Air Force Academy Squadron.
As our esteemed donor, Mr. Laskaridis, emphasised, we are today proceeding with the signing of the donation agreement. This marks yet another important step towards upgrading the infrastructure of the Hellenic Air Force Academy.
I would like to express, Mr. Laskaridis, once again to you, my warmest thanks and gratitude for this donation of yours, which follows on from your other donations and makes the construction of this magnificent building possible.
However, long-term service in the Armed Forces has significance beyond the specific role and the example we are highlighting: active participation in the defence of the Homeland, in the knowledge that this constitutes our collective responsibility.
The long-standing Greek tradition of philanthropy continues through such acts. And as I mentioned a few days ago at the opening ceremony for the architectural refurbishment of the Ministry’s Northern Façade, I would like to thank, in addition to you all, the “euarithmous” – please forgive me for clarifying that “euarithmous” in Greek means “a small number”, it does not mean “many” – a small number of shipowners, including your brother, who is present here today, who are already generously supporting the Armed Forces. And I thank them warmly, expressing my gratitude to them as well.
I would like, however, to be permitted to mention and address the entire great and thriving Hellenic shipping family, of which we are so proud and which I have implored, by letter, to come to the aid of the Armed Forces, and in particular our Navy, at this time of costly and multifaceted Transition into the New Era, with a specific mission that serves national survival.
And if I may say so, I consider the investment of 250 million euros, as mentioned in this letter, to be a small, acceptable proportion of the enormous national profits generated by our merchant shipping sector during this period of crisis.
When signing this donation agreement with Mr. Laskaridis, I had referred to the special nature of military service and also to the State’s responsibility towards those who choose to fulfill this duty through their service. And this responsibility, obviously, begins in the environment, in the places where young people are trained, where they develop their character and gain an awareness of their mission.
Training and living conditions must meet the requirements of the mission, reflect the State’s respect for the choices made by young people, and support the daily efforts they make.
That is why, in recent years, we have been making efforts to maintain and modernize the infrastructure of the Military Academies.
At the Air Force Academy, in particular, officers are being trained to take on the responsibility of maintaining the country’s air power, as well as its air defence, and who will ultimately be called upon to defend the Country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights alongside their colleagues from the other branches of the Armed Forces.
And we must instill in these young people, from all branches of the Armed Forces, the conviction that they constitute the “elite of Hellenism”, that the uniform bearing the national emblem is a tremendous responsibility, but also a tremendous distinction and a great honour. That the uniform bearing the national emblem is a title of nobility in a country where the Constitution prohibits other titles of nobility.
The training of Air Force cadets, Naval cadets, Officer cadets and Non-Commissioned Officer cadets takes on even greater significance at a time of major and far-reaching reform, the “Agenda 2030”.
The integration of new technologies and Unmanned Systems expands operational capabilities and changes requirements.
A short while ago, together with the Military Leadership, we inaugurated the building which, for the first time in our history, houses the Space Operations Command – commonly known as the body responsible for the Supervision and Management of the Satellite Observation and Communications System established by the Greek State.
You will appreciate the level of knowledge required, amongst other things, to carry out this mission.
It is therefore essential that training is developed, with a clear understanding of the responsibilities that trainees must assume.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I congratulate the leadership of the Air Force, the Academy’s management and all those who contributed to the preparation of this project.
I hope that it will be completed swiftly and smoothly, so that the new facilities, in accordance with the Donor’s wishes, may be handed over to Air Force cadets and serve the purpose for which they are intended.
My dear Air Force Cadets, your decision to serve your Country entails a duty that requires dedication, preparation, discipline and commitment. For its part, the State must ensure that the necessary conditions are in place for you to fulfil this duty.
Your responsibility lies in making the most of the knowledge and opportunities we provide you with. The Nation’s trust in you goes hand in hand with the Greek people’s constant expectation that you will prove worthy of the responsibility you will assume as Officers of the Hellenic Air Force.
I wish you every success and every achievement.
Long live Greece!”.
Also in attendance were the Chief HNDGS General Dimitrios Choupis, the Chief HAGS Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis, the Chief HNGS Vice Admiral Dimitrios – Eleftherios Kataras, the Chief HAFGS Lieutenant General Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, the donor Rear Admiral Emeritus of the Hellenic Navy Panagiotis Laskarides, the founder of “Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation” Athanasios Laskaridis, Senior and High-ranking Officers of the Armed Forces, Honorary Commanders and cadets from the Air Force Academy.
Also present were members of the Supreme Air Force Council, honorary Chiefs HAFGS, the President of the Association of Retired Air Force Officers Lieutenant General (ret.) Panagiotis Dimitriadis, the President of the “IKAROS” Air Force Academy Alumni Association Lieutenant General (ret.) Georgios Geroulis, and others.
His Eminence, the Metropolitan Athinagoras of Ilion, Acharnai and Petroupolis, officiated at the blessing of the waters.
