Greek defence chief urges Europe to revamp military mobilisation for modern warfare

Speaking at the third IISS Prague Defence Summit, Hellenic National Defense General Staff chief Gen. Dimitrios Houpis warned that Europe’s traditional mobilisation models are outdated in the face of renewed high-intensity warfare and rapid technological change. He contended that the assumptions shaping force structures for the past thirty years are now being tested, requiring institutional reforms, new infrastructure investment and tighter civilian-military coordination.

Houpis described four pillars of modern mobilisation: specialised, socially integrated conscripts; advanced education and tech infrastructure; coordinated civilian-military efforts; and ongoing technological modernisation. He detailed Greece’s “Agenda 2030” plan, which includes an active voluntary reserve, geographic placement of conscripts, and a target that 70 % of conscripts achieve operational readiness within 14 weeks using drones, cyber and AI training.

He emphasized leveraging civilian expertise in cybersecurity, logistics and data analysis through peacetime agreements with private-sector professionals. Finally, he advocated a “total defence” or whole-of-society approach, turning military bases, transport hubs and government cloud services into dual-use assets that support both civilian life and crisis mobilisation.