News

The economic situation in Greece is dire. Walk the streets of Athens and you will see Greeks digging in trash cans for food. With no jobs and withdrawal limits imposed on locals, hard cash is elusive and hard to come by. Those situated outside defence circles will therefore be surprised (and perhaps a little shocked) to discover that according to NATO Greece is a large defence spender with 2.38% of its GDP for 2015, second to the United States who spends 3.59 % of its GDP on defence.

Written by Sylvia Caravotas (Satovarac Consulting) for OIDA. To access the full article please click here.

The South African Navy’s, Project Biro, has attracted the attention of local and foreign shipyards that are currently competing to build three inshore patrol vessels (IPVs) and three offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) by 2024/25 at an estimated cost of R6 billion. The patrol vessels specifications include armament with a 30mm gun for inshores (IPVs) and 76mm gun for the offshores (OPVs). According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, South African Navy sources stated that the new vessels will replace the strike craft and minehunters acquired in the 1970s and 1980s, and will undoubtedly boost South African maritime efforts.

Written by Sylvia Caravotas (Satovarac Consulting) for OIDA. To access the full article please click here.