Greece and Israel signed an agreement in Tel Aviv on August 31 for the Achilles Shield air defense system, valued at approximately 3 billion euros. The agreement provides for the establishment of a multilayered air defense network in Greece.
Agreement linked to NATO defense architecture
The agreement approved by the Greek Parliament regulates the country’s contribution to NATO’s ballistic missile defense architecture. The arrangement allows Greece’s existing Patriot systems, as well as new air and missile defense assets it may acquire in the future, to be incorporated into the NATO structure.
The agreement’s technical annex states that Greece’s current contribution consists of Patriot systems but is not limited to them. The possibility of adding “additional capabilities” to the system in the future has raised the prospect that the Achilles Shield Greece plans to acquire from Israel could be incorporated into NATO’s ballistic missile defense structure.
The text also envisages establishing a common operations platform and an interoperability architecture between Greece’s defense assets and NATO’s missile defense system. Joint modeling, testing and exercises are planned as part of this framework.
Greek opposition criticizes agreement
Christos Katsotis, a member of parliament from the Communist Party of Greece, opposed the agreement. Katsotis argued that if the arrangement enters into force, NATO could play a decisive role in determining which assets would receive priority protection during a possible attack.
The agreement has also been criticized by opposition parties in Greece. Opposition figures argued that the arrangement would increase the country’s dependence on Israel in defense, deepen the financial burden on Greek taxpayers and tie Athens’ Middle East policy more closely to Israel.
Components of the system
The multilayered network Israel plans to establish in Greece is expected to include David’s Sling, Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak MX and Rafael’s Spyder systems. The agreement also covers IAI-produced MMR multifunctional radars for monitoring the airspace.
A new national command-and-control system is also planned to be developed under Rafael’s management. Debate continues in Greece over the cost of the agreement, possible technological and strategic dependence, and its impact on Athens’ position in the Middle East.
Greece’s former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, described the agreement as “shameful.” Varoufakis argued that a significant part of Greek society opposes Israel’s policies and claimed that government circles had placed the country in a difficult position through the agreement.
