Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the Naval Cadet School, where the “MIT-TRITON Summer School: Marine Robotics & Autonomous Systems Training Program,” is being conducted—a program that offers high-level instruction on autonomous marine systems.
The goal of the program, implemented at the initiative of the Ministry of National Defense by the Hellenic Center for Defense Innovation (ELKAK), is to transfer to Greece and assimilate cutting-edge know-how in the field of unmanned maritime systems, both in terms of their design and their operational utilization in the theaters of operations of the new era.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff General Dimitrios Houpis, and Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Katara, was briefed on the two modules of the curriculum, which focus, on the one hand, on the electrical and mechanical design of robotic systems and, on the other, on autonomy, sensors, and communication in a maritime environment.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis was also given a tour of the School’s laboratories and small harbor, where students conduct tests with autonomous systems, gaining practical experience—for example, with drone “swarms.”
The Prime Minister had the opportunity to speak with the program’s instructors, as well as officers from the Armed Forces and the Coast Guard who are participating, during which it was emphasized that such training helps build a core group of uniformed personnel who are specialized in new, evolving technologies and are also familiar with their practical application. The adaptation of maritime drones to the geographical characteristics of our region and alternative uses of autonomous vehicles—for example, for the benefit of commercial shipping—were also discussed.
The Commandant of the Naval Cadet School, Vice Admiral Ioannis Retsas, noted that the materials and systems designed as part of the program will remain in our country, contributing both to the dissemination of know-how within the Armed Forces and to the replication of this training for future classes of officers, while simultaneously enhancing the role of military academies.
During the tour, it was also noted that this transfer of know-how strengthens the Armed Forces’ ability to develop autonomous systems and supports ELKAK’s broader mission to foster domestic innovative solutions.
At the end of the visit, the Prime Minister made the following statement: “Mr. Minister, I truly want to congratulate you personally, as well as all the officers of the Navy and the Armed Forces, for the fact that you are so enthusiastically embracing new technologies.
What we are seeing today is not simply a glimpse of the future; it is a glimpse of the present in a theater of operations that is now changing dramatically.
And I am extremely pleased that we are able to develop a partnership between perhaps the world’s leading technological institution, MIT, and the Hellenic Armed Forces, using a Greek professor, Mr. Triantafyllou, as a “bridge,” so that we can now regularly train Armed Forces personnel—but especially our cadets—in the new, innovative technologies that are revolutionizing the way military operations are conducted today.
Today we had the opportunity to become a little more familiar with the technology surrounding swarms of autonomous drones. You can see some of them behind us. It is indeed a world that may seem difficult to understand to those of us who aren’t necessarily that familiar with technology.
What we do know, however, is that we have an obligation—to keep our country safe—to be at the forefront of global expertise and innovation.
And that is exactly what we are doing, and I believe we are laying the groundwork to train, above all, our new generation of officers to think not only as captains but also as scientists.”
Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias noted for his part: “It is my great pleasure today to welcome here, at the Naval Cadet School, the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for an event that is unique for our country.
A series of seminars led by outstanding professors from MIT for Greek cadets, as well as for officers from other academies—the Hellenic Air Force Academy and the Hellenic Military Academy—on the new reality: the development of expertise in autonomous maritime swarms—but beyond that, and beyond the sea as well. In this way, we are bringing our cadets into contact with this new reality—the new operational reality. In other words, we are bringing our country into this new era.
The MIT professors—led by Professor Triantafyllou, who is Greek and to whom we owe a deep debt of gratitude for the collaboration that has developed with MIT— so the professors had the opportunity to show the Prime Minister how this new technology affects maritime operations and how it can be a tremendous advantage for our country.
Mr. President, thank you for being here today and for recognizing this new, major effort being undertaken by the Ministry of National Defense, the Hellenic Navy, and our country.”