The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Friday, August 13, 2010

UK, Senior military chiefs "difficult decisions ahead" ..[ 1631 ]

Senior military chiefs 'facing axe'
The Ministry of Defence faces cuts to its backroom operations
The Ministry of Defence faces cuts to its backroom operations
the London Evening Standard.,13.08.10  

Senior military officers face a cull under plans to cut costs and make the Ministry of Defence "leaner", Defence Secretary Liam Fox has signalled.
Dr Fox said the MoD's backroom operations would have to shrink to ensure frontline troops got all the equipment and support they needed.
He indicated that top brass and civil servant numbers would be reduced to help tackle a £37 billion black hole in the department's finances.

The Defence Secretaetary did not comment on which military projects are facing the chop as part of massive Whitehall funding cuts ordered by the coalition Government. But he hinted there were still disagreements between the MoD and the Treasury over who will pay the £20 billion cost for replacing Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent.
Prime Minister David Cameron also admitted there were "difficult decisions ahead" as he attended a passing-out ceremony for Army officer cadets at the Sandhurst military training academy.
The scale of the savings defence officials need to make was highlighted by a report suggesting there could be a 20% cut to the budget for helicopters alone. A secret internal memo sets out demands for £3.96 billion of savings across the fleets of rotary wing aircraft operated by the Royal Navy, Army and RAF, according to the London Evening Standard. The MoD refused to comment.
Dr Fox used a speech in London to announce a wide-ranging reform of how the MoD is run to make it "leaner", less centralised and more transparent.
He said a visit to Afghanistan this week reminded him that supporting British troops on operations had to take priority over spending on staff in Whitehall. He said: "It brought home to me once again that the prime purpose of what we are doing is to make sure that our Armed Forces on the front line have everything they need, and all the support they require, to carry out their mission successfully and safely. That means that the backroom sometimes has to do without to make sure that the front line gets what it wants."
He said it would be "difficult and painful" to deal with this "dangerous deficit", but pledged a stop to the "endless salami slicing" of military budgets.
Dr Fox ruled out any merger of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF but suggested numbers of senior officers could be reduced. He said: "We will also consider whether the current senior rank structure across the services is appropriate for the post-SDSR world. We cannot demand efficiency from the lower ranks while exempting those at the top.
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