Order of the Day by the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias on the National Celebration of 28th of October 1940

Order of the Day by the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias on the National Celebration of 28th of October 1940

October 27, 2025

The Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, highlights the following, in the Order of the Day on the National Celebration of 28th October 1940, addressing Officers, NCOs, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, National Guards, Reserves and Civilians of the Armed Forces: "The 28th of October is a temporal landmark of our National Continuity.  National Celebrations and parades gain value when they operate as mechanisms of projecting the Historic Example and the National Narrative.  What we honour today is a life choice, a choice of national dignity.  85 years ago, our ancestors took a firm stand against marching Fascism and Nazism, beyond any correlation and realism.  The "NO" which sounded reflected the will of the Nation to remain free, defending the values which guide our national course through time.  It expressed the collective will for resistance.  A great number of our ancestors laid down the most valuable of all goods, their lives, as a price paid for this stance of life and decision.  The Greek people, aware of their historical continuity will keep reiterating this "NO" as a self-implied answer to the efforts disputing our National Sovereignty and the provisions provided by International Law for our Sovereign Rights.  Guided by this perception, our Country is led by the compass of honouring the past and shaping the future.   With the "2030 Agenda" as a roadmap of deep reform, with the new Structure of Forces, the 12-year Long-term Defence Armaments Programming, with the introduction of state-of-the-art technologies and an innovative ecosystem, we are undisputedly building the most powerful and modern Armed Forces in the history of New Greece.  So that we can bear the burden of any "NO"s we need to utter in the future.  Let us not be deceived.  The times ahead of us are merciless.  For Greece to be able to have a national saying in the Eastern Mediterranean, we need to have sufficient National Deterrence power.   In any other case what awaits it is Finlandisation and a constant succumb to the wills of the powerful.  During the parade which honours the 28thof October, the Greek people will witness the first tangible imprint of the Armed forces of the New Era.   It is the realization of a strategy that is established on National tradition and is based on knowledge, know-how, and on the human factor, the triptych that composes the new identity of our Armed Forces.  This strategy can be implemented because of you, the members of the Armed Forces, who serve your mission with devotion and professionalism. To each one of you serving in the Armed Forces I express my deepest respect and my sincere gratitude for your selfless devotion to your constitutional duty.  You are the living guarantee of the National Security, the dignity and the pride of the Greek Nation.  Inspired by the example of 1940, keep serving with consistency, discipline, resilience, always being aware of your responsibility.  Long Live the 28th of October 1940.  Long Live the Armed Forces.  Long Live our Nation".