SHIELD I: The discussion about the source code of the “Achilles' Shield” risks drowning in technical terms. The essence is simpler, and concerns who will hold the keys to the “brain” of Greek air defense.
It is not unprecedented for a country not to receive the entire source code of a foreign weapons system, even among close allies.
Finland is integrating the Israeli David’s Sling into its own command and control system. Poland chose the American IBCS, with an open and modular architecture so as to integrate Polish systems as well, albeit with the participation of the foreign supplier.
Even the British depend on the American F-35 program for the integration into the aircraft of the Meteor missile system.
In Greece’s case, however (and this however is a big one), there is a very critical peculiarity. The Israeli Rafael is undertaking to develop the new national command and control system, on which the entirety of Greek air defense will be unified.
So we are not talking about an isolated weapons system, but about the strategically important “dome” that will protect the country.
And this is where the confusion begins.
In July, Nikos Dendias had stated that especially for the C2 command and control system it is “completely impossible” for us not to have the source code and the ability to intervene in its architecture and evolution, so that we do not become “hostages” of any supplier.
But Moshe Patel, one of the main architects of the agreement, replied through his interview with Kathimerini, saying a one-word “No” to the question of whether Greece will have access to the source code of the C2.
SHIELD II: Subsequently, the Israeli side hastened to clarify that “transfer of know-how and joint use of software and technology” are provided for.
However, this is not the same thing as the explicit delivery of the source code. On the other hand, Greek military sources insist that full access has been recorded in the agreement. Therefore, we have, at least publicly, conflicting versions.
Of course, the next thing was for there to be political uproar as well. ELAS speaks of a government that is “exposed” and of the risk that the country may become a “hostage”, asking for clear answers about who will have access to the code.
PASOK had raised the issue in Parliament from September 1, with a question and a request for the submission of documents by the competent sector head Michalis Katrinis, regarding the national control and technological autonomy of the C2.
The answer has been pending for a week now, while today Katrinis returned with an announcement asking directly: “To whom does the source code belong?”
Attention, however: Not even the provision of the source code solves all problems as if by magic.
The real test is whether tomorrow Greece will be able to put a new Greek or European radar, or different missiles into the system, to correct or evolve critical functions.
That is, Rafael, Israel or -where American technology is involved- Washington should not be able to impose deterrent terms and obstacles, except for certain specific exceptions, perhaps in relation to geopolitical adversaries
These are the real “keys”, so it matters, and not only politically, that we learn officially whether we got them.
GEORGIADIS: The spontaneity of the Health Minister during his yesterday television appearance on Action 24 did not turn out well, as the discussion came to turnover in food service, with him arguing that it had increased.
To reinforce this, he used his mobile phone and posed the relevant question to ChatGPT (artificial intelligence): “I will ask ChatGPT: ‘did restaurant turnover decrease in 2025?’. I also have Plus”, he said, but the answer was not what he expected.
“Unfortunately it is -1.9%. The chat is not wrong”, he admitted immediately afterwards.
Damn technology!
NEW DEMOCRACY: “Samarology” continues, after the new clash between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Messenian, on the occasion of the prime minister’s statement at the TIF.
“Mr. Samaras yesterday in one paragraph said all the arguments of Tsipras, Androulakis and Konstantopoulou together, he spewed tremendous bile. If this bile continues to appear it will do us good, it will not do us harm”, estimated Dora Bakoyannis (SKAI).
The Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, stated that “Mr. Samaras ought to protect his legacy”, reminding that he himself had collaborated with figures coming from other political spaces during his premiership.
But also Sofia Voultepsi, government spokesperson during the Samaras years, argued (to Parapolitika) that he “does not reject only Mitsotakis, he also rejects all of us who supported him during the time of his governance”.
And the tones will continue to rise more and more every day.
DEPA: On prices and inflation, not on security of supply, the country’s energy bet is focused, as it was put from the TIF by the CEO of DEPA Commercial, Kostas Xifaras.
He clarified, in fact, that although the company’s portfolio is shielded against the turbulence connected with the crisis in the Gulf, nevertheless DEPA remains on constant alert, so that, if necessary, it can secure quantities not only for its customers but even for broader needs of the Greek market, as happened during the 2022 crisis.
Summarizing his intervention at DEPA’s conference on the subject “Greece in the new energy landscape: Infrastructure, markets and prospects”, one would keep the following: “The anxiety is to deal with prices, inflation and how people will be able to cope”, as he said, since the country may have been shielded in terms of adequacy, but it cannot be isolated from an international explosion in energy costs.
ELECTRICITY: The market and analysts are awaiting with interest today’s specification by the Ministry of Environment and Energy of the energy measures announced by the prime minister, especially after what was included in the yesterday’s briefing note of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance.
To the question to the column’s interlocutors, to what extent the above can achieve the goal of electricity bills that are 30% cheaper in 2029, they do not hide their reservations. “The numbers do not add up if the recipe concerns only this mix of measures”, they say. They acknowledge, for example, the contribution of the 50% reduction in YKO charges, however they remind that these account for only 3-4% of a typical household bill.
Regarding the massive investments in the coming years in the networks, they stress that they will certainly facilitate the further penetration of RES -and therefore the further containment of the wholesale price- however they point out that they will inevitably bring increases in the regulated system charges that occupy a significant share of every bill.
As for the massive replacement of old heating systems with new and more efficient ones, (heat pumps, water heaters), through the new subsidized programs, they agree that they will contribute to reducing consumption, however one should not overlook the costs.
Any massive demand in the coming years for the purchase of heat pumps will also raise their prices, therefore it will also increase the payback time of these systems for their owners...