The data included in a question tabled at the Parliament, by main opposition New Democracy MPs Panos Kammenos and G.Stylianidis are indeed an eye-opener! According to the Mid-Term Agreement, which was signed at the end of June between Greece and the Troika, the operating expenses of the Hellenic Armed Forces will be reduced to 234 million Euros, from 1,112 billion Euros in 2009 by no later than 2015. According to a report on onalert, these costs will be slashed by a whopping 79% in comparison with 2009 and 69% when brought against costs in 2011.
Basically, this means that the Hellenic Armed Forces will be reduced to 1/6 of their power!
Basically, this means that the Hellenic Armed Forces will be reduced to 1/6 of their power!
This is an alarming thought indeed. These cutbacks cannot and SHOULD NOT occur during a time when huge interests and geopolitical games are being played in our region, but once again... the socialist PASOK government of George Papandreou believes that this will benefit the people. How can making cutbacks such as these benefit the people? Or do they know this already? I mean... it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that we have enemies to right, north, and south of us. And hellasfrappe does not even want to examine what types of dangers lurk in the East Med. as well. Of course they know.... but then again we have said many times here that we do not believe that our government is working for us... in fact day after day we are becoming even more convinced that they are clearly, and without a doubt in the world, serving, working and bending over backwards, for foreign interests!
The figures are truly unbelievable. Can the Greek government achieve this goal without significant impact on the fighting ability of the Armed Forces?
And if that wasn't enough, it was also stated in the same article that the Troika wants to hold "friendly" talks with the Hellenic Chiefs of Staffs on “how to reduce costs even further.”
Of course costs can be reduced and many proposals were submitted two years ago on this involving the closure and/or merging of units which serve no operational planning. Also there were proposals made on decommissioning obsolete and now unneeded weapon systems, but of course these were probably ignored.
Of course costs can be reduced and many proposals were submitted two years ago on this involving the closure and/or merging of units which serve no operational planning. Also there were proposals made on decommissioning obsolete and now unneeded weapon systems, but of course these were probably ignored.
The question remains. Is the Troika here to set our funds in line, or are they here to lay their foot down on matters that do not concern them? You be the judge.