Blog

Foreigners’ Briefing

By Konstantinos Argyropoulos

1.History of the Hellenic Institute for Strategic Studies. Operating and Perspectives

by Rear Admiral J. Ioannou page 3

2.The Contribution of the Greek Defense Industry to the National Economy

by Mr. S. Moulias President UGMDM page 5

The Union of Greek Manufacturers of Defense Materiel was found in 1982. It includes the total of the Greek governmental and private Defense Industry. More than 140 Greek industrial and handicraft units are members of the Union.

The President and the nine member’s executive board that comes out of elections from the defense industrialist’s general assembly practice the administration of the Union.

The Union aims to shield and promote the interests of its members, to develop the Greek defense industry, to reduce the heavy burden of the against Greece balance of payments in the relative sector and finally to forward the exports.

The basic targets of the Union are adjusted to the reality of nowadays that, as a matter of fact, is the strengthening of the Greek industry. The Union’s administration today tries to boost any effort to ameliorate the Greek participation to the armaments programs of the Greek Armed Forces.

Today, better than ever, all the Greek industrial units are fully modernized with the right infrastructure, experience and knowledge of their personnel for a series of qualified products on the sector of defense, that are distinguished in the world of the modern high technology. All the defense material industries follow the international evolution in facts and technology and they adjust accordingly, creating at the same time conditions for cooperation mainly with industries abroad, that produce high technology outputs. The 95% of the Greek defense industries are certified according to ISO 9000.

The Greek defense industry can produce material of excellent quality that can be found in the following categories: Ammunition and explosives, weapons and weapon systems, military and armored vehicles, warships, aviation material, electronic and electrical staff, communications staff, optical and Electro-optical.

Our motto is Cooperation-Quality-Reliability-Authenticity.

3. Armaments and Economy

by Lt. Gen. Ret. G. Korakis page 6

Since the beginning of the 1990 we notice significant changes in almost all the states in regard of the structure of the military organization and the production and the international handling of the weapon systems. All NATO member countries follow a policy of reducing their military expenses, because of the collapsed rival military coalition. There is one exception in this newly formed situation. Turkey. Turkey, although presents the lowest income rates per capita between NATO countries, the Turkish social forms tolerate high military expenditures, ignoring financial and social problems. The political regime of the country materializes its ambitious policy in order to play the role of a peripheral superpower, thing that, as they consider, will bring positive effects in the whole of the Turkish society.

The obviously big military expenses join the peripheral instability and the negative consequences in the economy of the states.

It is said that investments in defense means loss of money. This is not correct, because defense means public possessions. Defense and every investment on it are equal with elements of deterrence that secure peace, stability and regular proceeds of the economy.

The planning of the armaments program must aim to meet the evaluated threat, not the competition with a likely opponent. An armaments program is considered a realistic one when it is based on the superiority in quality of the weapon system in conjunction with the professional capacity of the manpower.

The General Staffs nowadays must count the terrain as a less powerful factor in future military operations. Terrain can be used more as a starting platform (mainly by airforce) to strike and control the interior of the zones the enemy uses.

The thought that must prevail in the minds of the planners is to study thoroughly the needs and the offers and choose accordingly the appropriate weapon systems.

4. The today Role of the Armed Forces in International relations.

By University Professor Mr. Panayotis Ifestos page 9

The security of any collective entity used to be and it is going to go on as the most important hypothesis in the degree of the accumulative classification. This is valid in domestic terms by securing the normal function of the agreed regulating structures of every social-political system as well as it secures the essence from threats that come from the be it so anarchist international system.

5. The catastrophe of Asia Minor- Fatal faults.

By General Ret. D. Skarvelis, Academician- Honorary Chief of HAFGS page 12

The event that marked Hellenic History in all its gravity and the one that has turned the tide of the Hellenic Nation.

6. The illegal immigrants infiltration in Greece and the demographic problem in relation with National defense.

By Brig. Gen. Ret. Achilleus Georgiou page 16

A description of the new component that has to be seriously under speculation before the new parameters differentiate the standards of the National Security.

7. Crime in Greece today.

By Maj. Gen. Ret. (Police) P. Laggaris page 20

The increasing criminality in numbers and quality and the organized crime must alert the governors so to stop the phenomena and secure people in safer havens.

8. National Defense Policy and Armaments.

By Vice Admiral Ret. Gr. Demestichas, Honorary Commander of the Greek Fleet, page 23

Conditions that can be adopted for mighty Armed Forces that can carry out National objectives, are the excellently trained personnel with high morale and the material that is renewed in time so to keep on a superiority against likely enemies.

9. Essay on Armaments

by Brig. Gen. Ret. Konstantinos Argyropoulos page 24

10. Congresses of the Hellenic Institute for Strategic Studies “STRATEGY”- Conclusions- Perspectives

by Rear Admiral Ret. J. Ioannou page 26

11. Farewell to our friend Stamatis Igglessis