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The ambitious weapons program announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Thessaloniki, focused on the purchase of 18 Rafale fighter jets from France, ends a decade of divestment in the Armed Forces (as well as in the country as a whole due to a memorandum) that had brought the balance of power in the Aegean to the worst moment after the blow. Withdrawal of Oruc Reis no one can be sure of Turkey’s next moves.
Write the Vicky samara
The Prime Minister, however, stressed that Greece is not entering an arms race and spoke of “smart” and “digital” Armed Forces, explaining in particular the rationale for the Rafale decision.
The Greek’s Mirage 2000 Air Force it will be replaced by six new Rafale and 12 lightly used by the French Air Force. The first aircraft will arrive in mid-2021 and, no later than early 2022, the country will have a new Rafale squadron in combination with advanced weapons systems (Aesa radar, Spectra self-defense system and Scalp, Exocet, Meteor and Mica weapons. ). .
The choice of the French Rafale, in addition to being part of the strategic cooperation with France, which due to the conflict of interest with Turkey in Libya and the interest in the Middle East and the hydrocarbons of the Eastern Mediterranean, has proven to be Greece’s warmest ally in the European Union. and NATO, it was also done for technical reasons. Greece already has French planes and can replace them, and indeed it is easy for a Mirage pilot to fly a Rafale. These are also fourth generation fighters, which will replace the Mirage 2000 of Squad 332 “Gerakia” and thus change the balance in the Aegean.
Mitsotakis, however, wanted to disconnect the weapons options from the strategic relationship with the France, which of course is progressing and which at the diplomatic level was expressed at the Euro-Mediterranean Summit and is expected to be expressed at the Summit of September 24-25, where after the withdrawal of Oruc Reis and if Turkey does not take on new challenges, it seems to be However, the Prime Minister stressed that sanctions will remain on the table after the Summit, as he assessed that the EU is now aware of the strategic importance of the Mediterranean.
Mr Mitsotakis also pointed out that there is a mutual defense assistance clause at the EU level. When asked about the content of a defense agreement with France, he noted that Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty stipulates that member states have an obligation to assist a member state. affected by an armed attack. “There is a clause for defense assistance at the European level, I hope the country never needs to activate this clause,” he said. This was, of course, a message for the partners, as the EU does not have a single army, but the member states have national armies.
However, with the supply of fourth-generation aircraft, strengthening the Navy is equally important. The age of Greek warships is now a problem, despite the ambitious efforts of the officers who keep them fighting. However, the Greek fleet has been “out” for a month and in these cases the age of the ships can often make a crucial difference: new Turkish warships can continue to sail without problems, while older ships Old ones will show damage.
The Prime Minister also announced the upgrade of four MEKO frigates and the purchase of four new frigates. This program has a horizon of 5 to 7 years, so Mr. Mitsotakis stated that he cannot afford it, since the country will receive different offers.
In other words, after the Belharra discussion, the French Fremm discussion also collapsed, as the United States, Germany and the Netherlands made new offers at the last minute. The Prime Minister focused on the economic dimension, but it is clear that Athens will also take into account the need for balance with partners and allies.
Mr. Mitsotakis, however, stressed many times that the strengthening program Armed forces It is not limited to armaments, but also refers to strengthening the national defense industry and human resources.
He pointed out that the Elefsina shipyards have consolidated, the privatization of Scaramangas is progressing, while he characterized EAB as an emblematic project, since he pointed out that it does not lack customers, but that it had been the victim of indifference and inability to execute contracts.
It should also be noted that ODA is executing the F16 upgrade contract with Lockheed Martin
However, the announced hires over a five-year period of 15,000 male and female hoplite executives do not cover the shortage of NCOs and officers, creating difficulties in the staffing of our warships, for example. To address this, the admission rate to productive schools in the navy and aviation would have to be increased, something that has not been done so far.
It is recalled that the Kyriakos Mitsotakis He left open the possibility of compulsory service at age 18, which would facilitate the planning of the Armed Forces. However, she clarified that the term will not be extended beyond 12 months.
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