The price of an S-300 guided missile is supposed to be below that of a Patriot guided missile experts estimate it to be around $1 million per missile.Īlthough Greece had to reduce its expenditure on new military acquisitions in light of the imposed austerity measures, the maintenance costs of the arms build-up are now accruing. According to experts, these systems have to be serviced regularly and replacement parts must be purchased. Though a NATO member, Greece has owned the Russian anti-aircraft system S-300 since the early 1990s on top of their US Patriot system. But precisely what sums of money were to be invested has not been disclosed as of yet. The sole focus in this case is the replacement of existing missiles, says Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, who noted that some of the systems in use were becoming obsolete. A communique last week suggested that the Greeks are considering the purchase and maintenance of new long-range missiles to support the Russian anti-aircraft system S-300. But, at the same time, more and more is being spent on the military. To avoid the state defaulting, Greece is supposed to cut public spending, which should include reduction of the wages of civil servants, pensions and social security benefits. Indeed, in proportional terms, the Greek military is Europe's most costly.īut it turns out that a notable portion of the responsibility for the spending equipment falls on Germany, where arms manufacturers are profiting on Greek purchases of military weaponry it clearly cannot afford. BERLIN - One factor rarely mentioned in the debate over Greece's debt is Athens' huge military expenditure.
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