Welcome Address
MG Neophytos Pachoulides General Inspector
Distinguished guests , Ladies and gentlemen , on behalf of the Chief of the National Guard of Cyprus Lt Gen Dimokritos Zervakis
Good morning ,
I am glad to be here today addressing the « CYPRUS DEFENCE & SECURITY CONFERENCE ». Therefore , I would like to thank the organizing Committee for both giving me this opportunity as well as for hosting a number of National Guard Officers at the works of the Conference .
At the outset , the Conference presents an interesting goal with dual characteristics . On the one hand , it offers an opportunity to look into current defence and security challenges in an attempt to discuss the available technologically advanced solutions and how to effectively address them . On the other , it intends to bring together the international defence industry with domestic industrial stakeholders in order to assist their effort to become part of the international defence industry ecosystem . An effort , which , has recently presented several examples of tangible and promising results , demonstrating the significant steps already taken .
Today , in a rapidly changing world , defence and security challenges have become more complex , multidimensional and fluid . The Russian – Ukrainian conflict , the still rising geopolitical tensions , asymmetrical threats and an undeclared , yet existing « Hybrid War » in many areas of the world that directly affect security , burden the already unstable environment . The anonymous / invisible nature of these threats as well as their cross-border nature in conjunction with the fact that in many instances are directed and controlled by non-state actors increases their complexity . Dealing with these threats effectively , is quite challenging , even for the most developed and with state-of-the-art capabilities , countries , or alliances .
To respond effectively to these threats , Armed Forces today , must be strategically agile and adaptable to the rapidly evolving environment , taking advantage of the emerging defence technologies and innovations . At the same time , however , they must be also characterized by resilience . Systems operating in peacetime can
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