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The new Government began its work with good omens. The Greeks trust it in practice after approving its program and granting it autonomy in order to implement it effectively. The new government formation seems to have the required competence, organization and will to accelerate the country's progress in a number of vital sectors, with economic development and internal security as the leading priority. Despite the aforementioned promising beginning of the government's term, the following expresses strong concern regarding two equally vital sectors, in which the first signs are not as expected.

DEFENSE
With the Turkish political and military threat growing and directly claiming the national sovereignty and sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus, carrying out constantly escalating provocations, the country's defense was essentially absent from the New Democracy's pre-election agenda.

Alliances and strategic "axes" are intentional and desirable, but military self-help is a prerequisite for credible deterrence. Allies, guided by their national interests, regional stability and prosperity (and not necessarily International Law), either pressure the weaker side or separate the two parties after creating faits accomplis.

Given the Turkish ambitions, claims and practices, any thoughts of political negotiations on "win-win" or "casan-casan" terms are utopian. Any political hopes of mutual reduction of armaments (we have been doing this unilaterally for a long time) border on political naivety and unfortunately prove that the nature and character of the Turkish threat has not been understood.

Post-election, no comprehensive strategic deterrent plan to address the threat has been perceived so far, given that external balancing is not enough. The parameters of such a plan are not all necessarily costly, while some of them also involve a developmental dimension. In any case, in the field of defense, the impression is given of dealing with a normal routine and not with an imminent national interstate crisis with unforeseen consequences for our Vital National Interests.

Instead of the expected announcement of an immediate and comprehensive revision of certain priorities, due to extraordinary national needs (e.g. in the field of service, reserve, armaments, defense industry, Command Structure, Force Structure, elementary mobilization of Hellenism, etc.), we are informed by the Government Gazette 3193/17 - July - 2019, that one of the first and urgent "reform" government initiatives was the establishment of the duties of a Secretary General in the Ministry of Defense who, among other things, "coordinates the general directorates, directorates of the Ministry and the general staffs of the three branches of the armed forces".

Given the political primacy in the Ministry of National Defense (Minister, Deputy Minister, institutions such as the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of National Defense, etc.), the above provision will only cause confusion and a certain degradation of the role of the General Staff of the National Defense General Staff, since it constitutes a "wedge" in its primary responsibilities.

Really, if the branches of the Armed Forces are not adequately coordinated, who will bear the responsibility, the Secretary General or the General Staff? One would expect such a provision from a left-wing government (which the "commissars" within the Armed Forces like) but never from ND, and especially in a period that requires a strong role for the General Staff.

A first interpretative reading of this movement is that either there is no trust in the coordinating role of the branches by the General Staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces, or that the "Seven-Year Syndrome" still exists in the minds of some, due to which the responsibilities of the General Staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces should be curtailed or closely monitored, certainly at the expense of its prestige, military ethics and ultimately the combat capability of the Armed Forces.

The Ministry of Defense has distinct specificities (related to military specificity) compared to the other Ministries in which the institution of the Secretary General may be appropriate.

DEMOGRAPHIC
The Prime Minister has repeatedly pointed out that the demographic issue constitutes a "bomb" in our national and social foundations. Indeed, with a fertility rate of 1.28, Greece has entered an irreversible demographic existential bleak future (with all that this implies for the economy, employment, defense, security, border areas, social cohesion, pensions, insurance, etc.), unless something changes immediately and drastically, as a result of a comprehensive relevant government program.

The complex problem of demography concerns the value system and standards, education, morals and customs, the economy, the information and enlightenment of public opinion, a series of elementary benefits and support services for large-child Greek citizens, etc.

In any case, the provision of a birth allowance is correct, but if it is an isolated measure, the whole issue is devalued, degraded and condemned to failure and Greece, respectively, to suicide. Among the many Deputy Ministries that the new Government has established, it would be completely legitimate and expected, for symbolic and substantive reasons, to create a Deputy Ministry of Demography, which would be called upon to perform a titanic and multifaceted task, before fatal consequences arise in the near future (and in combination with illegal immigration).

I hope that the above remarks will provoke similar reflection and corresponding corrective decisions. It is the desire of every prudent citizen for the success of the new Government for the good of Greece. Benevolent criticism is required, as is the provision of advisory assistance, from institutions and think tanks such as EL.I.S.M.E., as long as the Government requests it and has a listening ear.

*20 – July – 2019
Vice Admiral (retd) V. Martzoukos PN
Honorary Commander of the Hellenic National Guard
President of EL.I.S.M.E.