Bridging Defense and Environment: Giannis Kefalogiannis on the Role of the Armed Forces in Climate Action.
Giannis Kefalogiannis, the Deputy Minister of National Defence of Greece, recently attended an event titled “The Army and Climate Change“, organized by the Hellenic Army General Staff at the Athens Armed Forces Officers’ Club.
This event focused on the intersection of military operations and environmental issues, emphasizing the need for the armed forces to adapt to climate change challenges.
During his address, Kefalogiannis emphasized the commitment of the Armed Forces to not only fulfill their operational duties but also to assist in civil protection efforts. He highlighted their role in saving lives, preserving natural resources, and protecting property, particularly referencing the significant contributions of the Joint Construction and Natural Disaster Response Command in managing this year’s wildfires effectively.
The Deputy Minister of National Defence of Greece, articulated that addressing climate change is a critical aspect of national security for Greece, stating that the Armed Forces are evolving dynamically in response to the climate crisis. This approach reflects a broader understanding that environmental responsibility is intertwined with national defense priorities.
In his address, the Deputy Minister of National Defence stated, among others:
“It is a great pleasure to open this event ‘The Army and Climate Change’. A subject that constitutes a challenge to its organisers and the Armed Forces in general. If someone said a few years ago that climate change would be a potential security threat, he would probably be faced with scepticism by a large part of society. Honestly, how can global warming or some extreme weather effects undermine regional security and raise security dilemmas among the citizens? However, the climate crisis or “climate collapse”, as pointedly stated by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, confirmed these views in the most dramatic way. The unusual temperature rise leads to the desertification of huge areas of land and the exhaustion of water resources. This in turn triggers food crises, social and political destabilisation, a rise of regional conflicts and hybrid threats, while it also multiplies migration flows, causing instability situations, as they are called in international literature.
This framework creates additional requirements for Armed Forces contribution to natural disaster response. The Ministry of National Defence, acknowledging this new reality, has prepared a roadmap to deal with this emerging and calculable threat. The first step in this direction was taken in December 2020 when the Ministry of National Defence issued the revised “Environmental – Energy and Climate Change Adaptation Policy”, which includes ways for the Armed Forces to adapt to climate change, as well as areas of environmental interest. In January 2023, a new roadmap was prepared, setting priorities in order to make rational use of available resources to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and enhance the adaptation of the Armed Forces.
The Hellenic Armed Forces do not stand idly by in this venture, engaging in natural disaster response in our country, as well as providing assistance to allied nations. This includes wildfire management, assistance to areas hit by earthquake, flood and extreme snowfall response, even evacuations of persons. Moreover, the increase of refugee flows also reflects the needs for increased surveillance of land and sea borders.
Consequently, in the framework of the implementation of the country’s National Civil Protection Planning at national, regional, and local level, the Joint Construction and Natural Disaster Response Command was formed. A new, original operational entity whose mission is to provide assistance across the entire spectrum of the National Crisis Management and Risk Management Mechanism in order to deal with civil protection events, extending from prevention, readiness, and response to short-term reconstruction. The Joint Construction and Natural Disaster Response Command has already had a positive effect with its specialised and experienced personnel, as well as the dispersal of machinery, having decisively contributed to the successful management of this year’s wildfires.
With a high sense of duty, the women and men of the Armed Forces are always ready, whenever required, beyond their operational mission, to contribute also to civil protection, saving lives, natural resources, and property. Climate change is the most decisive challenge of our time, with consequences that affect not just us, but also future generations. In this effort, the Armed Forced evolve dynamically as the eternal guarantor of security also against the effects of climate change.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the Hellenic Army General Staff for its initiative to host this event. Furthermore, I assure you that we will continue to prioritise the mitigation of the effects of climate change and the adaptation of the Armed Forces to it, since this is not just a matter of environmental responsibility, but also a matter of high national security”.