BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 27. Deputy Minister of National Defense Thanasis Davakis spoke during the 2nd and 3rd sessions of the Standing Committee on National Defense & Foreign Affairs, Trend reports.
The discussion focused on the draft bill of the Ministry of National Defense regarding the procurement of an additional “FDI HN” type frigate, the upgrade of the remaining three to the Standard 2++ level, as well as their follow-on support.
Also participating in the committee session were the Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, General Dimitrios Choupis, and the Chief of the Hellenic Navy, Vice Admiral Dimitrios–Eleftherios Kataras HN.
At the beginning of his speech, the Deputy Minister noted that he had listened carefully to all colleagues who had spoken on the draft bill in the previous sessions, expressing his satisfaction that they had studied the contracts under ratification carefully and voiced sincere concerns.
He underlined, however, that the questions raised show that neither the techno-economic complexity of modifying an ongoing shipbuilding program, nor the international situation in the global defense equipment market, nor the lessons learned from recent conflicts—presented in detail by both the Chief of the Navy and Minister Nikos Dendias—have been fully assessed.
Mr. Davakis emphasized that “maritime and air control operations for the protection of our sovereign rights require the ability to operate at a distance from our coasts and a prolonged presence on the spot. They also require defense capabilities in an operational environment rich in threats and interference, as well as the ability to project firepower at high altitude, long range, and beyond the horizon.
The purchase of the 4th frigate and the upgrade of the other three to the Standard 2++ level contribute both to the quantitative and qualitative strengthening of the Hellenic Navy, which is called upon to operate on the front line in the protection of our national interests and within the framework of the unified defense doctrine.”
He also made special reference to the establishment, for the first time, of a 25% participation quota for the domestic defense industry in a major procurement of the Armed Forces, stressing that “it is not necessary for this to be implemented solely within the framework of this procurement, but that it can also be complemented by the participation of Greek companies in other projects of the contractor. In other words, this also potentially institutionalizes the long-term integration of Greek companies into the supply chains of the French industry.”