The raising of the Greek flag over the country’s first Belharra frigate, the Kimon, is an indisputably momentous occasion. After nearly three decades, the country is acquiring a major surface combatant with cutting-edge capabilities, and at a particularly critical moment in time. The Hellenic Navy’s mission has become exceptionally demanding, as it operates across four distinct maritime areas: the Aegean, the Ionian/Adriatic, the Southern Cretan Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean. Despite the dedicated efforts of its personnel, the largest part of the fleet has reached its physical limits.
Representing a qualitative upgrade for the Hellenic Navy, the Belharra frigates are strategically important to Greece. This class of ship is designed for multiple missions and features low observability, with all that this entails. Although they have not yet been tested under real combat conditions, the four frigates Greece is set to acquire in total will fundamentally alter the operational landscape in the region.
With their air-defense systems, the modernized fleet will be able to establish an anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) umbrella, making it difficult for hostile air forces to operate in the Aegean and beyond. Thanks to the frigates’ advanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the Hellenic Navy will be able to operate more comfortably beyond Greece’s territorial waters and maintain a permanent presence between Crete and Cyprus.
The facts speak for themselves. Much of Greece is surrounded by sea, and our civilization has been shaped through its intrinsic relationship with the maritime domain. The country has an extensive coastline and thousands of islands, islets and rocky outcrops. The surveillance and protection of maritime zones are vital to both the economy and national sovereignty. Even Greece’s recent emergence as a transport hub for US natural gas and the international interest in its ports and its potential participation in the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) all share a common denominator: control of the waterways.
However, the procurement of the four frigates should not be viewed solely through the lens of deterrence. The new Hellenic Navy now has the opportunity to evolve into a long spear of national power, that is, to serve a geopolitical vision that enhances Greece’s international and regional role as a maritime nation. The most consistent element of Greek foreign policy since 1830, it is worth noting, has been alignment with the Western naval powers. This is a strategic choice embraced by successive generations of Greeks and one that is highly unlikely to change. Geography has always been both our destiny and our opportunity.
That said, a strong navy is a strategic necessity for Greece, not a luxury it can do without. The 21st century will clearly be the century of the oceans, as international trade relies almost entirely on maritime transport. Given that the Greek merchant fleet is the largest in the world in terms of deadweight tonnage (DWT), Athens bears even more responsibility for the security of the waterways. If there is one thing we’ve learned from the attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, it is that the presence of naval forces can help safeguard – at least in part – the principle of freedom of navigation, even far from Greek waters. Consequently, the acquisition of the frigates enables participation in multinational operations and missions by NATO and the European Union. Athens will thus enhance its negotiating leverage within the Western camp, as well as vis-à-vis other friendly countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In any case, efforts to further strengthen the Hellenic Navy must be accelerated. Additional major surface combatants are needed to ensure superiority in maritime areas of Greek interest. The procurement of new submarines is a necessary prerequisite for maintaining the balance beneath the surface.
A strong Greece means a strong Hellenic Navy, worthy of its tradition and capable of meeting the challenges of the future.
Manos Karagiannis is professor of international relations in the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies at the University of Macedonia, and reader in international security at the Department of Defense Studies at King’s College London.
