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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL DEFENSE AND SECURITY CAPABILITIES

AS A ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATION

MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WITH THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATION TO THE EU

To our great surprise, on Thursday, April 22, the Ministry of National Defense announced the resignation of the General Director of the Hellenic Defense Directorate, Lieutenant General (I) (retd) Theodoros Lagios, following a letter he sent to the Minister of National Defense, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, informing him of the following:

"On the occasion of the successful completion of a series of armament programs of the Armed Forces, I had the opportunity today, following an invitation from the Minister of National Defense, Mr. Nikos Panagiotopoulos, to inform him in detail about the work that has been done.

During our discussion, I accepted the Minister's important proposal to take on the position of Ministry of National Defense liaison with the Permanent Representation to the EU (MR/EU), on issues of capacity development and EU Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) programs.

"I thank the natural leadership of the Ministry of National Defense for their trust in me and I declare that I assume the responsibility of my new role, representing our country in a critical area for our defense policy in order to offer my services from my new position, with the sole criterion of defending the vital interests of our country."

Without referring to any possible background, one can characterize as "incomprehensible" this decision of the Ministry of National Defense to replace the Director General 15 months after his appointment, in the middle of a critical period, where the implementation of the F-16 and RAFALE armament programs is underway, where the signature for the Training Center in Kalamata has just been entered, while the decision on the Frigate program is imminent!!!

But is this replacement "inappropriate" and perhaps even "dangerous" for others?

Does the position of the liaison with the Permanent Representation to the EU on issues of capacity development and programs of the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation on Security and Defence (PESCO) cover very important national goals and is not a "gold in the pill"? Is the Ministry of National Defense sending a message to the EU with this decision about the importance and priority that Greece gives to actions aimed at the EU's Defense Integration?

From what follows, you will understand the importance of the new position and the role that the former General Director of the Hellenic Directorate of Environmental Protection, Mr. Theodoros Lagios, is called upon to fulfill, with the greatest possible success.

PESCO as part of a comprehensive defense package

The existing intergovernmental structures of the European Union, in which Greece participates, that support the collaborative development of European defense capabilities, are the following:

• The European Defence Agency (EDA);
• Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO);
• The European Defence Fund (EDF) (in the part concerning the years up to and including 2020. The regulation for the years 2021-2027 is still under development).

PESCO is closely linked to the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), which is currently implemented under the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP). They are complementary and mutually reinforcing tools, contributing to the same political objective:

• The Coordinated Annual Defence Review is implemented by the European Defence Agency (EDA), through systematic monitoring of national defence spending plans in order to identify opportunities for new cooperation initiatives.
• PESCO develops programs that will respond to the priorities that EU member states set through the Capability Development Plans (CDP), taking into account programs identified in particular through the Coordinated Annual Defense Review process.
• The European Defence Fund (EDF) will provide financial incentives to promote defence cooperation, from research to the capability development phase, including prototypes, through co-financing.

Our Country's Participation in Programs PESCO

I must highlight the significant success of our country to date, with its participation in the 47 approved cooperative programs of the 25 EU Member States participating in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and in particular in 9 of them as a participating country and in 5 as a leader, covering, among other things, the sectors of Cyberspace, Maritime and Air Systems, Education Systems, Meteorological Systems.

It is worth looking carefully at the conclusions and proposals of the 1st Air Power Conference "Learning from the Past and Strengthening the Future", organized by the Ikaros School Alumni Association (SASI), and especially those concerning "Strengthening the National Defense and Security Capabilities of Greece through the Defense Integration of the European Union".

We will find that very important proposals are being presented, expressing the hope that we will utilize the benefits of our participation in PESCO and, in coordination with other European initiatives, achieve our maximum possible participation to cover, on the one hand, the operational needs of our Armed Forces, with appropriate utilization of resources from the European Defense Fund, and on the other hand, to make our defense industry competitive and profitable.

Defense Industry

The new initiatives in Europe in the field of Defence offer significant opportunities to the Member States, in addition to achieving the level of ambition at European level, and to strengthen the "national capabilities profile". These initiatives (PESCO, CARD, CDP, EDF) together with the relevant tools (PESCO projects, EDA) can be used by all participating Member States. In order to be implemented, there must be a stable orientation and targeting by the participants in these actions.

Greece's "National Capabilities Profile" has strengths and weaknesses. In terms of military capabilities, Greece is one of the countries with the strongest conventional military capabilities in the EU. On the contrary, in the field of Industry and Security of Supply, it lags significantly behind. 

The opportunity presented for Greece mainly concerns its strengthening, in the weakest sector of the "National Capabilities Profile", which is industry. European actions aim at the development of industry and it is planned to allocate significant resources, totaling 13 billion Euros, to the various entities of the member states for capacity development, particularly for the period 2021 – 2027.

We can see this clearly in the picture of the European Defence Agency, according to which 4,1 billion Euros are foreseen for research, with exclusive financing from the European Defence Fund, and 8,9 billion Euros for development, as co-financing with the participating Member States. The co-financing for the various programs, depending on the type of action, can reach up to 100% under certain conditions, while for the development of prototypes up to approximately 55%.

Suggestions for Utilizing Our Participation in PESCO

Greece's path in this landscape of opportunity is to define operational requirements over time, map the capabilities of the domestic defense industry and select targeted actions that meet operational requirements and industry capabilities. This selection requires, first of all, political will, which theoretically should exist due to the country's commitments through the very strong legal framework of PESCO, as well as a commitment of national resources for participation in transnational cooperative actions.

Furthermore, serious representation of the country is required in positions where developments are taking place, both at the political and working levels. Greek defense companies can benefit on multiple levels (financing, technology transfer, collaborations, access to markets, etc.) from the emphasis given to the security and defense sectors by the EU.

It is necessary to make the most of our country's participation in PESCO in terms of meeting operational requirements, either as a lead country or as a participant in joint programs with other countries, but also for the development of the Greek defense industry. At the same time, efforts must be made to maximize the exploitation of all the possibilities offered to meet the defense needs of our country through joint armament programs - weapons systems of PESCO member states, with the economies of scale that arise.

Additionally, it is necessary to utilize Greece's participation in the new EU defense integration initiatives in order to legally and organizationally ensure the revision of all elements that have so far constituted a brake on the respective efforts. We must ensure the development of national capabilities in the fields of defense and security, strengthening the "national capabilities profile".

A decisive parameter will be the activation of the Greek defense industries to the greatest possible extent, in close coordination with the competent bodies of the Ministry of National Defense and within the framework of the National Defense Industrial Strategy. The PESCO forecasts will be taken into account as well as all the opportunities arising within the framework of the EU Defense Integration, with the ultimate goal of continuous information, participation and exploitation of the opportunities presented.

The former Director General of the Hellenic General Directorate of Defence, Lieutenant General (I) (retd) Theodoros Lagios, is called upon to respond to this important role, from his new position, that of liaison between the Ministry of National Defense and the Permanent Representation to the EU (MA/EU), on issues of capacity development and EU Permanent Structured Cooperation programs, wishing him good success.

I want to believe that with this decision of the Ministry of National Defense, we will maximize the benefits of our participation in PESCO and in coordination with other European initiatives for the Defense Integration of the EU, we will achieve our maximum possible participation to cover, on the one hand, the National Defense and Security Capabilities of our Country, with appropriate utilization of resources from the European Defense Fund, and on the other hand, to make our defense industry competitive and profitable..