Def. Min.: Investigation into Armed Forces leaks – Decisions on corvettes and frigates

The leaking of classified information should not be treated lightly, but is a matter of the military penal code, is the strict message sent to the military leadership by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos through his interview with NEA newspaper’s weekend edition.

Regarding the escalation of the verbal and physical tension emanating from Ankara directly challenging Greek sovereign rights, the minister points out that the government’s response is “to raise a strong wall of restraint of Turkish revisionism in order to vigorously defend our rights.”

The minister emphasized that the Armed Forces are at a better level than they were during the Greek-Turkish crisis of 2020, thanks to their continuous strengthening, claiming as regards possible bellicose incidents that the Greek Army is on alert and ready for any challenge or security threat, as the geopolitical environment is not only complicated, but has become fluid and dangerous.

As concerns criticism for sending obsolete BMP-1 APCs to Ukraine in exchange for German Marder AIFVs he noted that this was beneficial and advantageous according to the opinion of the Armed Forces Staffs, stressing that replacements will arrive before the BMPs are sent.

The minister also spoke of bolstering the fleet, saying that the Navy is currently considering the final proposals from the companies interested in the corvette program and the upgrade of four MEKOs. Mr. Panagiotopoulos noted that solving the pending issues of shipyards is crucial for the implementation of any program concerning the construction / upgrade of

The minister also noted that Greek Armed Forces are now better prepared and armed than during the 2020 crisis after buying Rafale fighters, continuing the modernization of the F-16s, the imminent receipt of the first Romeo helicopters, the gradual receipt of the M1117 armored vehicle and the acquisition of 3 French frigates, the acquisition of modern missile systems from Israel, the strategic agreement for the establishment of an international training center in Kalamata, the follow-up contracts for Apache, Mirage 2000-5 and C-27 transports that are already improving availability…

The issue of Turkish proclivities was inevitably addressed stressing the importance of vigilance and preparedness for any security challenge or threat. Because as he said “the geopolitical environment is not just complicated, it has become fluid and dangerous.”