A large part of the armaments programme currently being implemented, which exceeds one billion euros and is approaching 1.5 billion euros, is going to Greek companies, National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Friday, addressing the Delphi Economic Forum (DEF) X.
"There is a specific order which binds the armaments general directorate to obtain a 25% participation of the country in armaments when it negotiates. Any proposal for joint production of weapons systems in Greece is automatically something exceedingly interesting for us," he said.
"Now that we have a long-term 20-year plan we must ensure Greek participation in armaments," he added.
The minister also referred to the 280-million-euro "Modern Fighter" programme, noting that the uniforms of contemporary soldiers were utterly unlike those of the past, being filled with sensors and providing entirely different capabilities like screens and wearable comms, and that all this can be delivered entirely by the Greek defence ecosystem.
Regarding the 12-year long-term defence armaments planning of the Armed Forces, Dendias said it was an "unprecedented process" as Greece had never before had a long-term defence spending plan. "For the first time, the present government appeared in Parliament and said 'this is what we are thinking of doing' in the next 20 years in the country, of which 12 years are binding and the remaining eight as a broader plan," he said.
According to Dendias, this was part of a comprehensive framework that also related to the way the country deals with challenges, threats and having adequate deterrent forces, while it was also related to developing innovation, where Greece had lagged far behind.
"Our defence spending can leverage the expansion of the now small, existing defence innovation ecosystem in Greece, which will be able - as has happened in other countries - to lead to a dispersion of the product and growth of the economy, as well as giving Greece's young minds the opportunity to contribute to their country while also succeeding in their personal life," he added.
Regarding the "Achilles Shield", he stated that it is a comprehensive approach that integrates all the country's defence capabilities, while adding that it has five levels as it is designed "to deal with airplanes, missiles, drones, ships and underwater threats, thus overall to defensively encompass our entire territory".
He explained, however, that "every defence and deterrence effort is based on specific working assumptions" and clarified that Greece's planning is based on the existing threats, adding that the dome being planned "is more than adequate" and, until now, Greece did not have comprehensive protection against drones.
Regarding the pay increases for Armed Forces' personnel, Dendias explained that these came from spending cuts and reduction of unnecessary expenses over the past 18 months: "From the closure of camps alone, the Greek armed forces saved 130,316 man-hours per month. The number is inconceivable if you imagine it in terms of cost for a private enterprise. We made these savings and distributed some of them as a dividend of a better salary for our staff, because it is needed. There is also room for a new round of savings. It simply takes time."
“ We need to change the way the career of a Greek officer is understood. We want the best. I believe that Greece faces a real threat. That is why in defence we need the best. In order to have the best, you have to create a career that interests the best,” he explained.
He specified that efforts must be made regarding both salary and the work environment, outlining plans to introduce the possibility of doctoral degrees and research in military schools, a housing programme for the families in the military, better health services and provisions for the children of armed forces personnel. 
Dendias said the acquisition of a fourth frigate is among the government's intentions, while it also intends to equip the three existing frigates with strategic weapons, specifically cruise missiles. "They will be of a different generation... the best frigates on the planet, the best equipped and the most modern," while noting that there has to be an agreement on the cost.
Speaking about the Trump administration, Dendias said: “ I have only good words to say about Greece’s relationship with the first Trump administration. We did excellent things.” These included the signature of the first MDCA and placing Alexandroupolis on the defence map of NATO and Europe in the new geopolitical reality, he added.