Greece’s Minister of Defense Nikos Dendias gave an interview on the Greek TV broadcaster “Star” on Monday evening. The Greek MoD discussed, among other things, the prospect of reviving the Greek defense industry.

Asked by the journalist Mara Zacharea whether it’s time for Greece to produce its own defense systems, Nikos Dendias responded:

“The time has not just arrived, it has passed. Many years ago, we should have managed to support the great edifice of our Armed Forces. Not completely. Greece cannot make airplanes. But there are many systems we could make and, more importantly, systems we should maintain.

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are countries in our region, Israel being one of them, that have achieved remarkable things in the defense industry sector, creating jobs and expertise while significantly increasing exports.

We can obviously make our own drones. Beyond that, software, maintenance of our weapon systems, maintenance of the planes we already have, maintenance of the ships we already have. The ability to produce missiles, rockets, radars, radios, weapons, and ammunition.

All these are absolutely within the capabilities of our country. And we have human resources that are enviable. It’s a pity we let young people go abroad, serving other economies, societies, Armed Forces, other ‘flags’ if you want a descriptive and clear way to say it, instead of staying in Greece to enrich the Greek industry, the Greek Armed Forces, and in reality, the Greek exports.

There is an entire ecosystem that needs to be created. And the Ministry of Defense must realize that it’s not just the political head of the Armed Forces. It has a much broader mission and must serve it. Innovation, the defense industry is part of this mission.”