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2 days ago
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Source: AFP
Greece volition walk 25 cardinal euros ($27 billion) done to 2036 successful the "most drastic" defence overhaul successful its modern history, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said connected Wednesday.
The drive, which includes a caller anti-missile, anti-aircraft and anti-drone antiaircraft dome called "Achilles's Shield", is aimed astatine addressing rapidly changing geopolitical challenges and fraying transatlantic ties, Mitsotakis said.
"Τhe program involves the astir drastic translation of the equipped forces successful the country's modern history," Mitsotakis told parliament.
"The satellite is changing astatine an unforeseeable pace."
Greece has traditionally invested astatine slightest 2 percent of gross home merchandise connected its defence -- NATO's spending people -- owing to decades of hostility with determination rivals Turkey.
But the caller inaugural is besides designed to marque the state of 10.5 cardinal radical "a cardinal branch" of the European Union's defence mechanism, contributing 1 of the bloc's "most advanced" armies, Mitsotakis said.
This year, the nation's subject fund doubled to 6.13 cardinal euros ($6.6 billion).
Alongside Poland, Estonia and Latvia, Greece is present 1 of the fewer NATO subordinate states that allocates much than 3 percent of output to defence.
"Historically, Greece has served and volition proceed to service arsenic an outpost for Europe, which is presently seeking to reorganise its defence successful a hard planetary setting," said Maria Gavouneli, a prof of planetary instrumentality astatine the University of Athens.
'Achilles's Shield'
Greek media reports suggest Athens is successful negotiations with Israel to get the antiaircraft dome, which besides includes enhancing anti-drone systems.
France, Italy and Norway person been besides cited arsenic imaginable suppliers of the caller weapons, which see unmanned vessels (USVs), drones and radars.
Greece has sought to fortify its presumption connected the EU's Eastern Mediterranean border, adjacent to the struggle zones of the Middle East.
A dutiful purchaser of European subject equipment, particularly from France and Germany, Greece has ever justified its arms spending by pointing to territorial disputes and threats from historical rival Turkey.
'Necessary' overhaul
Source: AFP
"This reorganisation was indispensable for Greece due to the fact that during the economical situation of the past decennary and the frost connected nationalist spending, the state fell down successful presumption of modernising (its arsenal)," said Gavouneli, who is besides the manager wide of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy think-tank.
Greece has signed a subject practice statement with France, ordering 24 Rafale combatant jets and 3 Belharra-class defence and involution frigates (FDI) for a full of much than 5.5 cardinal euros.
And Athens has suggested gathering 3 much of the frigates successful Greek shipyards, a root astatine France's Naval Group said connected Wednesday.
Athens has besides signed a woody for the acquisition of 20 US-made F-35 combatant jets.
Last November, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece would bid 4 antithetic drone systems and overhaul its equipped forces by merging subject units.
Athens indispensable header with a "different reality" and modernise its forces rapidly to conscionable the challenges of the 21st period and those successful its narration with Ankara, Dendias said astatine the time.
France, Germany, and Poland precocious announced plans to bolster their militaries astatine a clip of faltering assurance successful the US subject umbrella. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stressed that the EU indispensable importantly summation its arms spending successful the look of the menace from Russia.
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Source: AFP
