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Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias announced a significant shift in Greece’s defense doctrine, saying Athens will deploy missile systems across hundreds of Aegean islands.
Speaking at an event in Athens titled “Greece in the World Perspective,” Dendias accused Türkiye of being the “greatest threat” to Greece despite both countries being NATO members since 1952.
Dendias said the traditional doctrine, where land is protected by the army, the sea by the navy, and airspace by fighter jets, will be replaced.
He argued that it is “meaningless” to rely solely on naval forces to defend the Aegean, saying modern threats require a new approach.
According to Dendias, Greece will “shut down the Aegean from land” by deploying mobile missile systems across “hundreds, if not thousands,” of islands, shifting the focus of defense from naval to land-based missile coverage.
He said this would free the Greek Navy from operating only in the limited waters of the Aegean.
Dendias announced a new project called “Achilles’ Shield,” which involves deploying five types of missile systems to Aegean islands and areas near the Türkiye–Greece land border.
He said this would allow Greece to close not only the sea but also the airspace of the Aegean through a new system of land-based air defense assets.
Dendias also highlighted the need to counter evolving drone threats, pointing to Türkiye’s rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicles.
He claimed that Türkiye possesses over one million ready-to-use UAVs and said that Greek soldiers must now enter the “drone era,” with every soldier receiving UAV training.
He said Greece plans to install its anti-drone system, “Kentavros,” which was tested in the Red Sea, on all frigates and adapt it for land use.
Additionally, Athens aims to establish a new force of 150,000 volunteer reservists, raising the total reserve force to 250,000.
Dendias said Greece intends to acquire second-hand Bergamini-class frigates from Italy, which he claimed can launch missiles capable of striking targets up to 1,500 kilometers away from any point in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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