Greece Defence and Security Report Q3 2009

Although Greece has the seventh largest armed force in NATO, it has not contributed combat forces to support the alliance mission in Afghanistan. Greece’s major international deployments have been in the Balkans and the country has not significantly engaged in large UN and NATO peacekeeping missions in the Middle East and Africa. The one major exception has been in the deployment of naval forces. Greece has sent frigates to patrol off Lebanon, as part of the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force, and to participate in EU and NATO anti-piracy patrols off Somalia since late 2008. Greece has extended its participation in the NATO Operation Ocean Shield mission off Somalia from July 2009.

In June 2009, a Greek policeman was shot dead in Athens while guarding the home of a witness during the trial of a member of the far-left Revolutionary People’s Struggle (ELA). This followed four attacks since January that have been blamed on left wing and anarchist groups. Although some property was damaged in these attacks and one policeman was injured, no-one was killed. There were bomb attacks on the offices of the ruling political party, a television station and a bank.

Two major procurement projects for the Greek armed forces are underway, one for a new batch of 70-80 fighter aircraft and the other for new maritime patrol aircraft. The fighter procurement is expected to be decided this year, but the economic crisis may put this back. As reported by Boeing in March 2009, the company is offering its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the Hellenic Air Force. This aircraft will come up against the Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16, Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen NG. However, if Greece chooses to go ahead with the Typhoon, it will represent a considerable about-turn. In 2005, the country’s centre-right government cancelled a EUR4.9bn deal with EADS for t60 Eurofighter Typhoons, deciding instead to purchase 30 Lockheed Martin F16 C/D jets. In May 2009, the first four Lockheed Martin F-16C aircraft arrived at Araxos Air Base.

A dispute between the Greek Ministry of Defence and the German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) over the fate of the 214-class submarine Papanikolis has yet to be resolved, with the German Navy now offering to operate the submarine until an international buyer can be found for the vessel, which the Greeks refused to accept, citing ‘technical deficiencies’. The Greeks still owe US$839 million to TKMS for the submarine, in spite of the German navy declaring the vessel to be sea-worthy after conducting its own sea trials. One solution under discussion would be for Hellenic Shipyards to build an additional submarine to the current three-vessel order and allow HDW to keep the revenue from selling the Papanikolis. However, some industry commentators claim that Greece’s huge budget deficit is forcing the country to concentrate on long-term fiscal stabilisation, with one method being to cap defence expenditure. The trouble is that over the past few years, Greece has agreed a number of defence orders with large payment obligations. Therefore, it is suggested that Greece is deliberately finding problems in the military hardware to avoid having to pay.