The Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos attended today, Monday, December 12, 2022, at the inauguration of the Operational Composite Training Squadron (MSE) of the Air Tactics Center (KEAT) at the 117th Fighter Wing, in Andravida.

Also present was the Chief GEETHA General Konstantinos Floros and Chief of General Staff (I) Themistocles Bouroliasrepresentatives of the Regional Self-Government, the mayors of Andravidas – Kyllini etc. Ioannis Lentzas and Piniou Mr. Andreas Marinos, as well as local factors.

During his speech, the Minister of National Defense pointed out:

“Ladies and gentlemen,

I too can’t wait to see exactly what was created here thanks to the excellent effort of the team that created it. “See the future” and I add: “Build the future and do it quickly, don’t waste time, because the future is here.” And what does the future hold for the Air Force, other than the big picture of geopolitical turmoil and an environment that is increasing in complexity and dangerousness of threats and challenges?

The future is certainly the fifth generation aircraft, network centricity (i.e. the processing of an even greater amount of complex, multi-layered information, mainly by the user i.e. the aircraft operator), is therefore the new digital age.

It is interdisciplinarity, i.e. the need and by virtue of this ability to process more information, the need to cooperate with other means of other branches towards the achievement of course of the same purpose within the same mission.

It’s the new era in aviation training, about 100 kilometers south of Andravida here, the Base being created and the new means, the new capabilities that will train the next generation of Air Force pilots. This is roughly the future we are called upon to manage.

I want to congratulate everyone who worked exhausting their creativity, their intelligence, their ingenuity, their professionalism, to add these extra features with the creation of this Positive Education Squadron and the simulators. Not only because they demonstrated, I would say, all the talent, all the assets of Air Force personnel, not only because they created capabilities from the Air Force for the Air Force. Not only because they responded to the challenges of this new era, but also because they did it with their own means, essentially saving res which will inevitably be redirected to the needs of the Air Force and the Armed Forces.

This initiative alone for these reasons alone is commendable, but above all it shows that the Air Force and by extension the Armed Forces can, with their own capabilities, increase their own capabilities.

Therefore, this, at least for me personally, but I am sure that I also express the Military Leadership, the Chief of GEETHA, the Chief of GEA, all of us who participate in decision-making in the Ministry of National Defense for the Armed Forces, proves to us that it is absolutely worth doing what ,what we can do to help the Armed Forces do their job better.

What from the beginning was at least my “mission statement”, that is, my statement regarding what exactly my role, my office, my mission here at the Ministry of National Defense is all about.

Congratulations to all, keep up the good work, keep up the same zeal, the same professionalism, the same creativity and intelligence, adaptability, call it what you will, work to continuously enhance the capabilities of the Air Force. And we, from our side as Political Leadership, as Military Leadership, will feel and proud of you, but also obliged to work from our own point of view to help you. I repeat that we help you to do your job as best as you can, obviously for the benefit of the Motherland.

Be well, Archangel always in your wings. And because “with Athena, the hand moves”, it is good that, in addition to the Archangel, you also contribute with your own capabilities to increasing the capabilities of the Air Force.

Congratulations again”.

After the Moira inauguration ceremony, Mr. Panagiotopoulos answered questions from press representatives:

GIORGOS SIDERIS: Mr. Minister, today we are here, which is essentially the “nursery” of tomorrow’s fighters of the Aegean who defend the Greek sky every day. What can this work mean for prevention in everyday challenges?

NIKOLAOS PANAGIOTOPOULOS: Very great work! Today is another important day for the Air Force, among the many important days we have been experiencing lately.

We inaugurated here with the Chief of GEETHA, the Chief of GEA, the Operational Synthetic Training Squadron here at KEAT, in Andravida, where I just had the opportunity, the experience rather, to see the new Icarians being trained in the simulators of this center.

Simulators built with Air Force provisions and capabilities. That is, this is all built by Air Force personnel for Air Force personnel, Air Force asset operators, and that alone makes the achievement particularly significant in and of itself. Not to mention the cost savings, the economies of scale, the ability that the Air Force has once again demonstrated, to expand its capabilities in an era complex with challenges that intensify in complexity, potentially dangerous. The Air Force and the Armed Forces with their own capabilities increase their overall deterrent capability.

This is where the new pilots who will possibly staff the new means, but also the existing ones of the Air Force, are trained, in collaboration with elements of the other branches of the Armed Forces, of the Land Army here. It is the interdisciplinary nature that we talk about a lot, but the executives prove it in practice.

New era, new media, new training center, new concepts, such as network-centricity, the possibility of processing a huge amount of information by the operator on his platform, i.e. the aircraft, the possibility of increasing interdisciplinarity, i.e. cooperation based on this volume information with details of the remaining branches of the Armed Forces.

In the new era, once again the Greek Armed Forces and the Air Force in this case, are “present” and prove that they are able to cope with any challenge that may arise.

Congratulations are certainly due to all those who contributed to the creation of this Center. I would say that they had nothing to do but to put their creativity, their ingenuity to work with the professionalism, talent and quality that distinguishes them and create something with almost meager means, zero finances, from the Air Force to the Air Force.

We really feel proud but also somewhat safer when we see these efforts.

GIORGOS SIDERIS: Minister, allow me one more thing. As we approach the holidays, we usually see that the climate between the two countries, Greece and Turkey, usually calms down. Nevertheless, yesterday we saw and heard the President of Turkey talking about hurricanes, about blows to Athens if we don’t sit quietly, etc. What is your assessment?

NIKOLAOS PANAGIOTOPOULOS: I have said many times that we do not expect Turkey to stop using this aggressive rhetoric, this hostile rhetoric towards our country.

I think that the pre-election climate in the neighborhood plays its role, but it is certainly not the only reason for this rhetorical outburst. And certainly we do not choose to use the same tone, although we have entered a pre-election climate and could use anti-neighbor rhetoric to attract votes for each party. But we don’t because we choose to be sober and do our job.

Our job is to strengthen our country. Perhaps this strengthening of the overall strength of the country’s Armed Forces will cause an additional irritation to the neighbors.

I have said many times and I say it again that the point is that Greece will get even stronger, the Armed Forces will get even stronger, so let’s be prepared for a demonstration of this irritation in any case. This does not prevent us from all continuing in good cooperation, Political and Military Leadership of the Ministry to do our work. And our job is none other than to give the means and the possibilities to the Armed Forces to do what they know best about their work.

LEONIDAS BLAVERIS: Since you talked about the International Aviation Training Center at 120 PEA in Kalamata, Mr. Minister, is there anything new regarding the receipt of new generation training aircraft?

NIKOLAOS PANAGIOTOPOULOS: The process is underway, the first trainer, a 5th generation trainer, will probably come in the spring so that the training for the 5th generation aircraft that will one day be staffed by the Ikari will be matched with corresponding 5th generation trainers. Because the ones we had until now and whose expected life ends abruptly at the end of the year were definitely not 5th generation.