Blog

By Ioannis Baltzoi*

Just recently, in the Greek Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defense presented the 12-year Long-Term Defense Armaments Planning (LTDP), a program that foresees defense spending of 25 billion euros until 2037. An emblematic place in our defense program is the creation of an anti-missile-anti-ballistic umbrella, the famous Tholos, named "Achilles' Shield" which had already been announced in previous months.

The MFA focuses on three main axes – with an implementation horizon of 2037:

A. Armament programs that include modern weapons, drones, anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems.

B. Technological integration into the Armed Forces, with priority given to cyber defense.

C. Defense procurement must necessarily involve cooperation with the domestic defense industry, so as to include Greek components and know-how. In fact, the competent Minister of Defense, Mr. Dendias, pointed out that the participation of the Greek defense industry in equipment will amount to 25%.

We will not refer to all the defense programs that were announced, but to the one that was given special importance, the new Protection Dome, which will safely cover the country, under the name "Shield of Achilles". A very ambitious and original anti-aircraft-anti-ballistic system and not only, which will also incorporate the already existing anti-aircraft systems. As Homer mentions in the Iliad, Achilles, the bravest hero of the epic, used during the Trojan War, a powerful shield forged especially for him by the god Hephaestus, which consisted of five different levels.

So, the "Achilles Shield" that the Ministry of Defense aspires to implement, for the defense of our homeland, also has five levels, to address all modern forms of threats. A dome, essentially, that will combine existing air defense means with new additional capabilities, that will be able to protect us at five levels:

A. Anti-missile-Anti-ballistic.

B. Anti-UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)

C. Against Aircraft.

D. Against Ships

E. Against Submarines

And as the Prime Minister stated in Parliament, “this very important project, which is perhaps the largest investment we will make in the coming years, must also include domestic added value.” The cost of the “Achilles Shield,” according to current estimates and calculations, will amount to approximately 2,8 billion euros and will include long-, medium- and short-range weapon systems, a radar network that will locate and categorize targets, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), while a series of underwater surveillance systems are also added to this system.

It is clear that European capabilities are limited, but Greece has a strategic alliance with Israel. It is estimated, as a result of Mr. Mitsotakis' visit to Jerusalem, that Israel can provide us with such capabilities, since it has experience and a strong defense industry, building its famous triple dome, which consists of three anti-aircraft-anti-ballistic systems: The Iron Dome, the David Sling and the Arrow 3. Our cooperation with Israel is considered imperative and already through ELKAK, the Greek Center for Development and Innovation, important steps are being taken on how we can develop the ecosystem of start-ups around defense.

*Ioannis Baltzoi is an Antgos (n.a.), M.Sc in Geopolitics, president of ELISME.