Climate change is a “security challenge affecting the Armed Forces” but also “a complex challenge for Defense and Security, with catalytic effects on the mission and work of the Armed Forces”. This was emphasized by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulosduring the presentation of the Road Map for limiting the effects and adapting the Armed Forces to climate change, held in the “Ioannis Kapodistrias” meeting room of the Ministry of National Defense.

“The Ministry of National Defense, recognizing this new reality, was the first to complete the creation of the Road Map for dealing with the emerging and now calculable threat. In this context, the revised environmental energy policy, policy of adaptation to climate change was preceded” the minister pointed out.

“The Road Map”, he added, “analyses the concept of climate change and its implications in the fields of Security and Defence, summarizing the initiatives to deal with them and to shield them at national, European and allied levels”.

“The Road Map defines priority axes, in order to rationally use the available resources, in order to reduce the negative effects of climate change and to strengthen the adaptation of the Armed Forces to them. I distinguish the two main pillars, adaptation to climate change and mitigation of its effects. In this context, the coordinated and specific actions of the ministry in terms of energy upgrading, energy saving that will free up resources are included and this is another, collateral, positive consequence for the needs of the Armed Forces in terms of increasing the overall their ability. However, resources will be saved and there will be a positive environmental footprint, which is both a European and a NATO direction,” he underlined.

For his part, the Deputy Minister of National Defense Nikos Hardalias emphasized that the Road Map is a “coordinated and methodical interdisciplinary work” that captures “in a clear and understandable way not only our vision for the transformation of the Armed Forces into a powerful factor in the battle against the climate crisis, but also the specific actions, the timetable and above all the important stages of the implementation of our plan”.

He reiterated that “the clear mandate that the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense has received from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis since the beginning of this government’s term is to build the strongest Armed Forces in the history of the modern Greek state”.

“For almost four years now, the staff of the ministry, in collaboration with the General Staff, has been working tirelessly to make this vision a reality, which I would call patriotically necessary,” he added.

“Climate change,” he continued, “is a complex challenge that is here, driven primarily by human activity, and worsening every day, with serious consequences not only for our overall quality of life, but most importantly for the international security environment ».

For the ministry, said N. Hardalias, it is a “fundamental priority to create a ‘green’ Armed Forces, committed to adapting and mitigating climate change, but also fully aware of the impact of new climate data mainly on their operational mission.” Our goal is for the Armed Forces to maintain the ability to fulfill their mission in the future, without this causing degradation to the environment.”

“In other words, to become a strong, a flexible, an effective force, which will be able to operate under any climatic conditions, contributing at the same time to both the national and European requirements for dealing with climate change” he added.

He explained that the Road Map “is fully aligned with the government’s strategy, as defined by the National Energy and Climate Plan, but also with the new National Climate Law 4936/2022 for the transition to climate neutrality and adaptation to climate change”.

The GEETHA leader General Konstantinos Floros, among others, stated that “the prevention of war, which completely destroys the environment, contributes immeasurably to its protection”. As he said, “that’s what the Armed Forces do.”

He made a special reference to the integration of the climate factor into the actions and missions of the Armed Forces, while underlining specific actions to reduce the environmental footprint of the Armed Forces.

Also present at the presentation were the head of the GEA Vice-Admiral (I) Themistocles Bourolias, the head of the GEA Lt. General Angelos Houdeloudis and the head of the GEA Vice-Admiral Ioannis Drymousis PN. Representatives of the Security Forces and academics also participated.