Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias attends annual corporate review event “Two Years of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation”

Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias attends annual corporate review event "Two Years of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation"

June 10, 2026

The Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias today, 10 June 2026, attended the annual corporate review event of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation "Two Years of the HCDI".

The proceedings of the event opened with the presentation of the review of two years of operation of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation by its Board Chairman and CEO, Pantelis Tzortzakis.

The event was also attended by the Chief HNDGS, General Dimitrios Choupis, the Government National Security Advisor Thanos Ntokos, the Chief HNGS, Vice Admiral Dimitrios - Eleftherios Kataras HN, the Chief HAFGS, Lieutenant General (HAF) Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, the General Director of the General Directorate for Defence Investments and Armaments, Major General Ioannis Bouras, the HAGS F Branch Director, Major General Georgios Panousis, the Chairman and CEO of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry, Vice Admiral (ret.) Alexandros Diakopoulos, the Chairman of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation, Vice Admiral (ret.) Panagiotis Lymberis, honorary Chiefs of General Staffs, Ambassadors and members of diplomatic legations, Defence Attachés and representatives of the Security Forces.

The event was also attended by the President of the NATO Innovation Fund Dr. Ari Kristinn Jónsson, the Deputy Director of the Defence Innovation Agency, (Agence de l'Innovation de Défense - AID) Nicolas Cordier-Lallouet, the CEO of Skaramangas Shipyards Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, the CEO of the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (ΕΑΤΕ) AntaLymberopoulou, the Director of the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ΕΛ.ΙΔ.Ε.Κ.) Giorgos Karydakis, the Head of the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Vaios Lappas, the President of the Bodossaki Foundation Athina Desypri, members of the HCDI Steering Board, representatives of Defence Technologies Companies, and others.

Mr. Dendias, in a speech he delivered, pointed out:

"It is customary for the aide de camp of each Minister of National Defence to place a speech on the podium. You will allow me then, in the spirit of innovation, to dispense with custom and speak as proper in this environment.

And I have to tell you, it is easy and pleasant for me due to a basic reason: It is like being present at the birthday of a child of mine, a child of two. As Pantelis [Tzortzakis] mentioned, for which I thank him, when I first expressed this need, the advice I got from my friends was "this is impossible", and by those not so friends "beware of finding yourself in prison". In reality, the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation is not the "child" of an inspiration, a thought or a conception. It is the "child" of need, a great need. And it is called upon to solve two of our Country's great problems.

The first problem is connecting the needs of the Armed Forces - I must admit I do not like saying it here for the first time, since it sounds so commonplace coming from a politician's lips. It is true nonetheless, and I say it to use it as an example for the future, not only to praise the effort - thatour Country's innovation system, had to record, compose, and aid in the transformation from a cut-off "system" of small operations here and there, or operations whose know-how in reality was a system of balancing benefits, which led us to you know where, and teach the Armed Forces through the also novel Innovation Directorate, not to ask for things, but to ask questions. "How can we resolve this given problem?" "Centaurus" is the answer to a question. Which question is one and specific: How do we face drone swarms of a specific type?
This is our first need.

The second one, equally great, equally tied in with national security, albeit outside the narrow parameters of the Ministry of National Defence, is how do we equalise the balance of foreign payments.

Let us begin with a basic admission. A poor country is always a weak one. Now a bankrupt country - which we have experienced - is a completely impotent one. When you beg - which I have lived - as Minister in order to pay the public sector employees their monthly salaries, you are certainly powerless, of no account to others. You will ask me, how is the HCDI connected with this?

The HCDI works as a body which corrects market shortages. What the Anglo-Saxons call "market failures". What "market failure"? "Market failures" occur when the banking system has no willingness, no intention - and to be frank -, no capability of reinforcing these small innovative businesses and ideas, which often come from outstanding, and dare I say in some cases genius minds. Yet these people are not a bank's first choice, and are usually young. Picture an unkempt youth entering a Branch of a Greek Bank one morning, wearing blue jeans, sporting a beard or long hair, going to the director and asking him: "Can you please give me 50,000 euros to develop an anti-drone system"?

What are the odds of him getting half a euro? This is the void that the HCDI is coming to fill, and create products which serve the operational needs of a different system of Armed Forces, which has learned to question, and not ask. And on the other hand, to create products for export and reduce imports for the Greek economy.

For Pantelis [Tzortzakis] previously mentioned that the country's foreign balance is operating at a deficit. This is also a problem at the foundation of our national security.

We have to evolve, we have to change our productive model. This need is what the HCDI is coming to cover. Which is connected to, and I am sad that the Secretary General is not here today, I am sure something must have occurred, with the role of the Ministry of Development. The current minister has also embraced this idea, and we will be closely cooperating with Takis [Theodorikakos] presently. When I was Minister of Development in '14, in much more adverse times for the country, together with my unpaid consultant Panos Kyriakopoulos, we conceived of the Idea of a Development Bank, which also exists today to fund the change in the productive model of the Greek economy.

Thus, you can view the HCDI in these two ways. The "child" of need as I mentioned. What has happened has been described by Pantelis [Tzortzakis] very analytically and beautifully. Besides, I cannot describe it all off by heart, but we can all agree that this "child" of need walked and has talked. Yet it is time to agree on something else as well. That it is time for it to run. Why run? Run, for the time framework required by law is broader than the time framework of developing innovations. Let me give you an example: According to operational needs we issue a call for the innovation system to provide us with an autonomous maritime system, remote-controlled, which can detect through camera, or target and strike with explosives and radar systems. By the time we receive the prototype, innovation has reached autonomous, AI-powered non remote-controlled, systems. So, approximately 18 months later we will receive something made obsolete by technology.

Therefore, we have to shorten time frames considerably. And this coming period, which, by the way is the worst one for this task, and I will explain why, I will ask the Parties for their input and suggestions for the necessary changes in legislation, in order for us to be able to fulfil this task. For, you know, I cannot hide it, I have to mention it. The country is facing a threat. We are not operating in a vacuum, and we must be capable of facing the threat, which is moving rapidly.

Technology is our great advantage. It is the great equaliser of all. You are witnessing it in current wars, be it Ukraine or Iran. So, in order to use the great equaliser which is fuelled by the amazing Greek minds, we have to cut all this "red tape" as the Anglo-Saxons call them, these obstacles which do not allow us to run. I understand your concern for public money, and I share it. Yet the matter is existential: We will either evolve fast, or the threat will be so much more powerful than us, and I say this with dread and fear, that the Greek Prime Minister at that given time, despite his wishes, will be forced to succumb, driven to that need by the balance of power.

To be sure then, that each given Prime Minister may fulfil his constitutional mission, which is following the will of the Hellenic people and Parliament, he has to possess the force which will allow him not to be subject to any blackmail. And this is what we must make, build. Technology is the tool to build, and the HCDI is the implement with which we will incentivise the necessary innovation for all this to take place in the country. Let us not wait to buy. We may buy some items, we may be granted some others, yet if we do not possess our own "sovereignty", I do not know how to translate it in Greek, in the "core" codes, a Country cannot be independent, truly independent and powerful.

And this comes from me, a great believer in cooperation with other countries, and I am glad of the cooperation with France and the USA - I am visiting again in two days - and of the cooperation with Israel and various Universities, like the MIT.

All of this we should do, and it is high time we did it. My great fear being, - I mentioned before - that exactly since we are in the administration's final year, which is always a pre-election period, the ever-existing tense climate will prevent national unanimity and national understanding of the existential need. Yet we should make a joint effort. When the Law 5110/2024 was passed, the law which founded the HCDI, what we heard is recorded in the Parliamentary Minutes.

I will end upon these two notes. The first, I have decided to create a "mentoring" Committee, a Council - it is provided for in the legislation - which will aid the companies which have the kindness and the research centres, the PhD holders, the manpower and the personnel, the military personnel working for the HCDI, by opening new "points of view" new vistas for seeing novel things.

This "mentoring committee" will consist of Greek Professors and Researchers, either from within the country or abroad, carefully hand-picked, to enable the very possibility that, through the peep-hole, we may see the existing tomorrow, not visible to us all, until it has become our general reality. We have to witness it in its initial stages.

And I will close with the second one: I have pointed out, in the strongest terms I could, the need to reform this "child" I really love, in order for it to be capable of meeting the Country's needs in contemporary times.

Yet, this does not change a basic necessity which every mother and father ought to possess. I would like to tell you that I am very proud of the HCDI, as I am very proud of the "Agenda 2030" and the Hellenic Armed Forces.

Thank you very much".