Athens, Dec. 16, (dpa/GNA) – Greece significantly increased the amount it spends on defence as part of a budget passed by parliament on Sunday.
It provides for spending of €6.1 billion ($6.4 billion) next year – almost twice as much as in 2019 (€3.5 billion). In addition to investments in fighter jets, frigates, submarines and intelligent weapons, a protective air-defence shield, or “Iron Dome” is also to be built to ward off drones and missiles.
In his speech during the budget debate, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that there would have to be a “radical restructuring” of the armed forces to make them more efficient.
Defence Minister Nikos Dendias promised that the military would enter a new era with “intelligent weapon systems and an anti-drone dome.”
Athens has been calling for a common European air defence system against enemy aircraft, missiles and drones since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Greece is one of 21 countries participating in the European air defence system European Sky Shield, which was initiated by Germany, but the government in Athens thinks progress is too slow.
The Greek “Iron Dome” would differ from the Israeli mobile missile defence system because the threat is different, Dendias explained in a recent interview with the newspaper To Vima.
While Israel has to defend itself mainly against rockets, the Greek dome would protect against drone attacks. Drones are much smaller and harder to detect than missiles.
In the background is the fact that Turkey – which has frequent disputes with its neighbour – has become a leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Turkey’s defence budget is many times higher than Greece’s. Both countries are members of the NATO alliance.
GNA