Greek Prime Minister’s speech in the Hellenic Parliament on 2 April 2025

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance,” said Thomas Jefferson two centuries ago. A price that our homeland pays consistently, recognizing that there can be no progress without security,” said the Prime Minister, beginning his remarks by discussing the long-term planning of defense strategies, “the most drastic transformation of the Armed Forces in modern history.”
“When we talk about resources for national defense, we don’t just mean investments in equipment. We are also talking about the steady investment of our homeland to remain stable and independent in a changing world. We are referring to a policy that is connected and interacts with the full range of our collective movements. Thanks to the strong Armed Forces, our country has prevented dangers such as migrant flows in Evros. It has defended its rights in every crisis in the Aegean and has strategic agreements with the USA and France—alliances that provide security guarantees in an insecure field,” continued Mr. Mitsotakis.
As he emphasized, “Security also emerges as a pillar of prosperity. Without security, there are no conditions for economic prosperity and social cohesion. If there is no protection from external threats, there can be no sustainable development and innovation. Who would invest in a country that doesn’t guard its borders? The old dilemma ‘guns or butter,’ which is mainly posed by the left, is shallow and dangerous, especially today when the global map of interests is being restructured quickly, with wars, tariffs—which could threaten global economic relations—and technology becoming a weapon of intervention to disrupt internal social balance.”
In this context, he described the military choices of the homeland as “critical,” as “we have to face broader shifts in power—military, economic, technological. Even more so when, on the other hand, the defensive perception of the USA seems to be diverging from NATO.”
“Thus, from the Arctic to the Pacific, the balances are changing, generating new challenges. That’s why investments in the Armed Forces are investments in our sovereignty, which concerns national dignity. At the same time, they are initiatives that strengthen diplomacy,” explained Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The Defense Autonomy of the EU
“Based on the above, it becomes clear that the EU as a whole must redefine its position on the map of new changes. Greece and I personally spoke about the issue of defense autonomy. At first, we were few, but European partners, realizing the total changes, decided to take significant steps in the right direction. The latest decisions on defense are fully coordinated with Greece’s positions. We have managed, with systematic work, to achieve decisions that are in the national interest. The most important is the escape clause, which gives the Greek government additional fiscal space for investments in the Armed Forces without adding to fiscal ceilings. Regardless of the fiscal capabilities the Greek government has as a result of the escape clause, this flexibility will not lead to excesses. Not only because the markets judge and monitor us, but because the performance of the economy overall is a factor of stability and security.”
As he explained, “In the same direction, the fund for increasing investments in the defense industry is moving. The Fund provides loans on preferential terms and does not involve subsidies. It is not a Fund with characteristics similar to the Recovery Fund. At some point, the EU will have to discuss the creation of a Fund to finance public benefit projects, such as the creation of a European missile shield that would cover all countries. We are not there yet, but we have taken a significant step. The Rearm EU plan was voted on by MEPs from New Democracy and PASOK, while SYRIZA, KKE, and Plevsi Eleftherias voted against, and the ultra-patriots of Greek Solution, Niki, and Fones Logikis preferred to abstain. Let the citizens draw conclusions about who are patriots in practice and who are in words.”
In response to the observation that “in 2019, we inherited the Armed Forces in a critically problematic state due to disinvestment,” he noted that “we had to move at a fast pace, and we did. Today, the image of the Armed Forces is completely different from what we inherited. 24 new Rafales with the most modern equipment. 3 new Belharra, which will be the most advanced ships in the Eastern Mediterranean. Unmanned aerial vehicles, cutting-edge helicopters, new torpedoes, and a comprehensive effort that has particular significance to invest in existing weapon systems by correcting past mistakes.”
As he said, “We have C130s and C27s, and the program for the upgrade of the F16s to Viper, which had been signed by the previous government, was stagnating but is now progressing at a satisfactory pace and will be completed within the agreed timelines. We have an agreement with Israel for the training of our pilots, with the training center in Kalamata not only covering the needs of the Greek Air Force but also capable of training pilots from other countries.”
Announcements on Increases in the Security Forces at the Thessaloniki International Fair
The Prime Minister also made a special reference to the care and consideration for the personnel of the Armed Forces: “For the first time in 14 years, they saw increases in their salary and allowances. The Minister of National Defense presented not a new salary scale, but a different philosophy to separate the grading from the salary scale and to make the compensation dependent on services to the homeland, while also making the salary scale an invitation for young people to envision a career in the Armed Forces. This is why the related announcements were made now and not at the TIF, to meet the deadline for completing the university applications.” He reminded that “the increases will take place in two phases: from April 1, €30, from July 1, €100 for all uniformed personnel, and the agreed increases from 2026 for Armed Forces personnel, which have already been announced.” He also mentioned the discussion about increases for other security forces.
“Those who expressed justified concerns about the other security forces beyond the increases that have already been announced, I want to say that our government has proven its enduring support for society as a whole, not just for uniformed personnel—something that will be confirmed by the announcements at the upcoming TIF. However, one thing is certain: we will remain responsible, and the government will not succumb to a destructive spiral of giveaways. Fiscal responsibility will not be questioned. We will do it at the right time and with the responsibility that always characterizes us.”
The Philosophy of the New Defense Program
Developing further on the philosophy of the new defense program, the Prime Minister emphasized that “in the past, we often put the cart before the horse. We would come to Parliament with the desires of the Armed Forces, approve defense programs, and when we totaled them, we realized that they couldn’t be implemented, and the result was that we had a typical design that exceeded fiscal capabilities. Now, the minister knows that for the program period, he has €25 billion within which to fit the critical and necessary choices, taking into account the proposals from the staff.” The first parameter, as he said, is that “expensive equipment should be accompanied by smart weapons systems. Therefore, technological superiority is an important component of the proposals we are discussing.”
“The second parameter concerns domestic added value. Today, there are Greek industries and companies capable of playing this role, as long as we can give them this role. I am not referring only to state-owned companies but also to others that innovate and foresee the overall European gap in the defense industry. If we want to buy new Patriot systems, it will take 4-5 years because there are no production capabilities. However, if these systems are also produced in Greece, other possibilities open up for us,” continued the Prime Minister.
“We are talking about a completely different philosophy for the development of the Greek defense industry. At the same time, I would like to congratulate the Ministry of National Defense for the significant steps being made through the development and innovation center for the development of start-up ecosystems. The anti-drone system of our frigates is one such example that shows what we can achieve,” added Mr. Mitsotakis.
“The third axis that drives the program concerns the ongoing support of the systems we have already acquired. We know that the systems we purchase are expensive, and if we do not maintain them, we will face unpleasant fiscal surprises or the systems will be put into inactivity,” he continued, reiterating “my support for the difficult decision of the Ministry’s leadership to reorganize the Armed Forces. I understand that it may cause disruption in local communities, but it is a necessary move that I fully support.”
As he pointed out, “It would have been impossible to secure resources for the Ministry of National Defense to carry out this plan if our economy were not growing as it is and if we had not achieved fiscal balance. Defense now means much more than guarding borders. It includes hybrid threats, whether with migrant flows or the flow of misinformation. To monitor these complex hybrid threats, the General Secretariat for National Security will be upgraded and will be under my personal supervision.”
“We are a NATO member country and honor our agreements. We have a strategic agreement with the USA and honor those agreements, but we are also a member state of the EU and will try to strengthen European defense. Our ability to spend more on defense makes us key players in the design of the new architecture of Europe. This strategy must be based on a minimum level of national consensus. I have not seen substantial proposals from the opposition. I look forward to the discussion to reach compromises that will be nationally beneficial. We are putting forward our own proposals for the key pillars of the new national policy that places the country on our patriotic path of responsibility, confidence, and determination. When Thucydides said that ‘the times are unpredictable,’ he was referring to war, but this also applies to peace. We must bear the cost of keeping Greece stable.