New technologies and digital transformation are triggering enormous changes in the defence sector. In today’s era of rapid progress, the need to embrace these innovations is imperative, National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said in his greeting on Wednesday at the awards ceremony of the MIT StartSmart Accelerator Southeastern Europe program.
Dendias reiterated that he has set “as a priority the creation of a defence ecosystem in Greece,” while he added that “digital transformation has revolutionised the way we plan, develop strategy and execute military operations.”
“Cyber warfare,” he underlined, “has emerged as a major concern. Through embracing digital transformation, we can strengthen cyber defence and safeguard critical infrastructure.”
Regarding innovation, he pointed out that it “serves as the foundation on which the defence industry thrives” and “promotes progress, improves national security, strengthens the defence capabilities of states, helps us develop cutting-edge weapons systems, advanced surveillance systems and hyper-modern communication networks.”
For this reason, Dendias said that a new body is being established, the “Hellenic Center for Defence Research and Innovation Development” to fully utilise “the value of innovation in the defence industry” and “to support aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs.”
“Its core mission is to develop indigenous defence and innovation ecosystems, with an emphasis on advanced dual-use technologies. Its function concerns the design, development and management of financial and non-financial tools and the promotion of technology transfer between start-ups and the defence industry,” Dendias stated.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
