Greece plans to purchase new submarines, defence minister: The old Hellenic Navy ships will be replaced

Greece will start discussing a plan to buy next generation submarines to replace the old Hellenic Navy ships, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Monday.

“We are also starting discussing the purchase of new submarines, of course over a decade. Submarines are not soon produced”, the minister said in a brief speech during the inspection of the Fleet by Republika President Konstantinos Tasoulas, at the port of Piraeus.

He said purchases would develop “within the existing fiscal space that guarantees absolute respect for the Greek taxpayers. Every euro should be spent on absolute transparency”.

He gave no further details of the plan.

The push to strengthen Greek maritime capabilities aims to maintain maritime supremacy in the Aegean and Mediterranean, and is part of a broader defence modernisation plan that responds to regional security challenges.

The country announced earlier this year that it will spend 25 billion euros over the next decade to adapt its military to developing war technologies. The re-progress ʹ initiated after years of defence cuts during the 2010-2018 financial crisis will be built around a planned air defence system called “Achilles' infrastructure”, aimed primarily at addressing tensions with neighbouring Turkey.

It includes all branches of the armed forces and focuses on co-operation with France, Israel and the United States. /Periscopi/