Greece inaugurates Space Operations Command at Dekeleia Air Base under Dendias

A new command at Dekeleia

The Space Operations Command of the Hellenic Air Force was inaugurated on Monday, 9 November 2026, at Dekeleia Air Base in Tatoi, north of Athens. Defence Minister Nikos Dendias presented the command as part of a modernisation of the armed forces' structure, and President Konstantinos Tasoulas attended the ceremony. The Metropolitan of Ilion, Acharnes and Petroupolis, Athinagoras, officiated at the inauguration. Dendias called the day a very substantial step in the armed forces' move into a new era.

“The day we inaugurate the Space Operations Command Centre of our Air Force is a very substantial step in the transition of the Armed Forces to the new era.”

After the ceremony, Dendias toured the command's facilities and watched a demonstration of a space operations centre in action. The unit is expected to take its first steps in the period ahead, and it is part of the Agenda 2030 plan for the full development of the armed forces' space architecture.

Purpose and partnerships

Military sources cited by Kathimerini say modern operations rely heavily on space services for communications, surveillance, early warning, navigation and decision support. The command is set to oversee Greece's current and future satellite capabilities, with information gathering at its core and better coordination of land, sea and air forces. It will work directly with allied NATO space commands and, where needed, with available civil and commercial space providers. Among its stated goals is the development of space situational awareness (SSA). Kathimerini argues that Europe is now moving toward a more autonomous role in space, where the United States and China are the main players, leaving room for smaller countries such as Greece.

Dendias on space and Ukraine

Dendias framed the new command around a wider shift to joint, multi-domain operations, in which space, cyber and the electromagnetic spectrum combine with land, sea and air. He pointed to Ukrainian communications losing access to space capabilities as a warning sign for modern armed forces.

“The lessons we have already learned show that space is the critical dimension of conducting military operations.”

Dendias said Greece has already set up a satellite ground station for the European HELIOS-II military programme at the 114 Combat Wing in Tanagra, along with a satellite communications ground station at Atalanti. He also said Greece has already acquired 16 low-Earth-orbit optical satellites with dual civilian and military use, obtained in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Governance. He argued that buying satellite services from foreign providers is not enough, and that satellite information must be Greek-owned and built into command and control systems. He described the planned architecture as a move from the older C4I model to a C5 ISRT model that unifies command, control, computing, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting.

Icarus School and the shipping donation

Dendias also took part in the inauguration of a new building for the Icarus Squadron at the Icarus School, in the presence of Tasoulas. The building was made possible by a donation from Vice Admiral (retired) Panagiotis Laskaridis, who is chief executive of Lavinia Corp and Laskaridis Shipping Co. Ltd. and president of the Aikaterini Laskaridi Foundation. Dendias described the event as the continuation of a donation agreement and another step in upgrading the school's infrastructure. He thanked the shipowners who support the armed forces financially and said he had written to the Greek shipping community asking for help for the Hellenic Navy during an expensive transition. The same ceremony at Tatoi also included the laying of the foundation stone for a new Icarus Squadron.