Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, left, and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias stand for the national anthems during a meeting in Athens Tuesday. [Thanassis Stavrakis/AP]
Israel will help Greece develop technology to counter swarms of military drones as the two countries deepen defense cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said Tuesday.
The pledge followed talks in Athens between Dendias and his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz, building on a December defense pact between Greece, Israel and Cyprus. Israel is already assisting Greece in building an air defense shield as part of the expanding cooperation.
“We agreed to exchange views and expertise so that we can counter unmanned platforms — specifically swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles and groups of unmanned underwater vehicles,” Dendias said, appearing alongside Katz. “Also, to work together to be able to forestall and stop threats in cyberspace.”
Katz called the partnership “an anchor of stability in the Mediterranean.”
Drone swarms – typically using small, low-cost craft that operate in coordination – reflect a broader shift in modern warfare, used for reconnaissance, defense and attempts to overwhelm opposing systems.
Dendias added that Greece is building on Israel’s example to boost its own defense industry.
“Our aim is for Greece, from a client state and a simple purchaser of defense systems to become a joint producer or a producer of relatively low-cost innovative products,” he said. Dendias said that this approach is already bearing fruit, from anti-drone systems in use by the Hellenic Navy to drones.
Greece, a high military spender relative to the size of its economy, remains locked in a long-running dispute with fellow NATO member Turkey over maritime boundaries and offshore resources.
The December agreement outlined a joint plan for combined exercises, special operations training and regular strategic consultations. It followed talks between the leaders of the three countries aimed at advancing maritime security and energy initiatives.
Earlier this week, an Israeli military official told Kathimerini that Israel will share with Greece operational experience from its use of US-made F-35 fighter jets as the two countries seek to deepen strategic cooperation amid growing instability in the Middle East. (AP, Kathimerini)