The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias Attends the Assembly of the General Council of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises on the issue of support of the domestic[...]

The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias Attends the Assembly of the General Council of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises on the issue of support of the domestic productivity in the field of Defence

November 6, 2025

The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias attended today, Thursday 6 November 2025, the General Council of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, where he delivered an address on the issue of support of the domestic productivity in the field of Defence.

After the addresses delivered by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises Spyros Theodoropoulosand the President of the Executive Committee of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises and Vice Chairwoman of the Board of Directors Rania Ekaterinari, the Minister of National Defence thanked, first of all, our country's Federation of Enterprises for its support for the institution of active reserves and the acceptance of his proposal for the payment of the Reserves' wages during their refresher training.

Following that, Mr Dendias mentioned the current geopolitical challenges, to which Greece responds with "Agenda 2030", the greatest Armed Forces reform in our country's modern history, as well as the utilisation of lessons from modern conflicts, in fields such as drones and anti - drones.

He also stressed that the Long-term Defence Armaments Programme for the next 12 plus 8 years, enables the scheduling of armament programmes, with respect to the fiscal share reserved for the country's Defence. He reminded that the country's armament programme in the years of the financial crisis was non-existent. "Now, we are called to cover the gaps of the last decade and change the Hellenic Armed Forces, in order to face the challenges of the 21^stcentury. It is not a bankroll and as a consequence we are extremely frugal in our choices, in how we select something and in what we do" he stressed.

He also mentioned the establishment of an innovative defence ecosystem, through the formation of the HNDGS Innovation Directorate and the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation.

He stressed that: "the Innovation Directorate teaches the Armed Forces to pose questions instead of asking for products. The Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation receives the questions from the Innovation Directorate and forwards them to the Greek ecosystem of defence companies. It is also responsible for receiving answers and communicating them to the Innovation Directorate, which in turn will evaluate them".

The Minister of National Defence also mentioned the increase in the participation of the Greek industry in the armament programmes. He noted that in contrast to the past "today we adopt an investments model with a steady national participation and calculable return, aiming for a minimum of 25% participation of the Greek industry in the armament programmes".

"The structuring of a self-reliant defence ecosystem constitutes a national necessity. It requires the collaboration of the State, institutions, industry and academia, with consistency and resilience. Defence expenditures, when planned properly, leverage development, create wealth and high specialisation positions. This is the course of national survival. A course of responsibility, plan and result. Greece has the knowledge, the means and the volition to achieve it" added Mr Dendias.

The following individuals conducted presentations during the General Council Assembly of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises: Major General Ioannis Bouras, General Director of Defence Investments and Armaments (GDDIA) of the Ministry of National Defence, Major General Georgios Panousis, Director of HNDGS F Branch responsible for matters of Evolution, Innovation and Defence Technology andPantelis Tzortzakis, CEO of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation.

A discourse with members of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises followed, as well as fruitful exchange of views regarding the momentum of the domestic industrial and technological base for Defence and the expansion of the domestic defence industry's footprint.