Greece has been in an unofficial military reorganization since 2019, and analyst Alexandros Itimoudis lays out exactly w...

Greece has been in an unofficial military reorganization since 2019, and analyst Alexandros Itimoudis lays out exactly why, and how far behind schedule it still is. The core problem is a widening power gap. Turkey has built a war industry, not just a defense industry, pouring investment into it even at the expense of its own citizens' living standards. Both countries carry comparable external debt, around $590 billion for Greece and $564 billion for Turkey, but Turkey's larger economy means that debt is a far smaller percentage of its GDP. Greece simply cannot match Turkey in raw numbers, and Itimoudis argues the country has known this for years. So Greece changed its strategy. Instead of competing head-to-head, it has been targeting Turkish weaknesses through quality force multipliers: naval and air force modernization, satellite data integration through the Achilles Shield program, digitized systems on the Belhara frigates and incoming F-35s, joint exercises with Israel and Egypt, and intelligence-sharing agreements with Israel alongside weapons acquisitions like the Spike NLOS and Spice systems. Tax reform is part of this too. Greece has been overhauling its tax collection system precisely because mobilizing resources in a potential conflict requires the ability to borrow and produce war material quickly. A government that cannot reliably collect revenue cannot sustain a defense buildup. The structural problem Itimoudis identifies is harder to fix. Greece's economy is still anchored in tourism, hospitality, and small businesses that do not innovate and would be paralyzed, not mobilized, in a conflict. Transferring civilian technology into defense production and back again requires an industrial base Greece does not yet have. Progress on that front has been slow. The warning he leaves is straightforward: Turkey is actively widening the power gap with Greece as a future target in mind. The reforms being pushed through despite domestic resistance are a direct response to that, even if they are not being framed that way publicly. Credit: Alexandros Itimoudis #Greece #GreeceTurkey #Defense