Agenda

Preliminary Agenda – Subject to Revision

09:00 - 10:00

Registration, Arrival of Guests & Welcome Coffee

Registration
10:00 - 11:00

Opening Session

Opening

Welcome Remarks

✓ Nikos Hardalias, Governor of the Region of Attica

✓ Haris Doukas, Mayor of the City of Athens

Opening Keynote Address

✓ The Honourable Nikos Dendias, Minister of National Defence of the Hellenic Republic

Keynote Remarks: US Leadership in an Age of Strategic Competition

✓ Joshua Volz, Special Envoy for Global Energy Integration, United States Department of Energy

11:00 - 11:45

Panel I: Industry at War: Innovation as Mission

Western industry is not neutral. Defence and technology companies form the backbone of freedom as much as armies do. This panel asks how industry can rediscover its mission, ensuring that innovation strengthens sovereignty instead of being captured by those who seek to undermine it.
Panel

✓ Fabrice Pothier, CEO, Rasmussen Global; f. Director of Policy Planning, NATO

✓ Pantelis Tzortzakis, CEO, ELKAK - Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation

✓ Cyrille Bret, Inspector General, Inspection Générale de l’Administration of the French Republic; f. Managing Director, Naval Group Greece

✓ Chair: Konstantinos Davlos, Senior Editor, SKAI TV & Political

11:45 - 11:55

Keynote Remarks

Keynote


✓ Adonis Georgiadis, Minister of Health of the Hellenic Republic; Vice President, New Democracy Party

11:55 - 12:15

In Conversation

Conversation

✓ General (ret.) Konstantinos Floros, Honorary Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff; Senior Advisor K-GROUP

✓ Chair: Adonis Seferlis, Journalist

12:15 - 12:40

Fireside Chat: National Security at a Time of Turmoil and Regional Crisis

Keynote

✓ H.E. Noam Katz, Ambassador of the State of Israel to Greece

✓ Chair: Adonis Seferlis, Journalist

12:40 - 13:50

Panel II: The United States, Europe, and Collective Defence

American power has long underwritten Europe’s security, but the terms of that relationship are evolving. As priorities diverge and expectations adjust, collective defence becomes as much a question of political alignment as of capability. This conversation explores how the balance between leadership and responsibility is being redefined, and what sustains alliance cohesion in a more uncertain strategic environment.
Panel

✓ Frans Timmermans, f. Executive Vice-President of the European Commission; f. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands

✓ Gus Bilirakis, Member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida

✓ Dimitris Avramopoulos, MP; f. European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship; f. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence of Greece

✓ Aristotelia Peloni,Director of International Strategic Planning & Communications to the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic

✓ John D. Saracakis, President of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce

✓ Matthew Boyle, Washington Bureau Chief, Breitbart News

✓ Chair: Nicos Theodoropoulos, Managing Partner, Paragon Holdings

13:50 - 14:55

Roundtable: The Future of War — Power, AI and the New Battlespace

War is changing faster than institutions. Artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, aerospace capability, and data dominance are compressing decision cycles and redefining deterrence. Power now belongs to those who integrate technology with will. This discussion confronts a simple question: who will shape the architecture of future conflict — and who will be shaped by it? The future of war will not wait for consensus.
Conversation

✓ Kiril Petkov, f. Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria

✓ Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance and AI of the Hellenic Republic

✓ Dimitrios Lymperopoulos, Head of Machine Learning at Palantir Technologies

✓ Robert Smith, Director, European Growth and Strategy, Anduril Industries

✓ Yannis Mastrogeorgiou, Special Secretary of Foresight, Presidency of the Government of the Hellenic Republic

✓ Brando Benifei, Member of the European Parliament and Co-Rapporteur of the EU AI Act

✓ Dr. Ben Tallis, Head of Thought Leadership, Helsing

✓Chair: Basil Gavalas, Co-Founder, Athens Defence Summit (ADS)

14:55 - 15:25

Lunch Break

Lunch
15:25 - 16:10

Panel III: Capital for Security: Markets, Capability, and Strategic Delivery

Deterrence today depends not only on public budgets but on the mobilisation of capital at scale. As defence spending rises, the real challenge lies in translating funding into deployable capability amid procurement bottlenecks and industrial constraints.
Panel

✓Kyriakos Pierrakakis, President of the Eurogroup; Minister of National Economy & Finance of the Hellenic Republic

✓ Dimitris Skalkos, Secretary General for International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic; Chairman, Enterprise Greece

✓ Christos Megalou, Chief Executive Officer, Piraeus Bank

✓ Chair: Chara Zerva, Managing Partner, NK Law

16:10 - 16:30

Fireside Chat: The Art of War and Peace

Fireside chat

✓ Dr. Greg Mills, The Strategic Advisor to the President of Zambia; Senior Fellow & Member of the Advisory Board, RUSI - The Royal United Services Institute

✓ Chair: Basil Gavalas, Co-Founder, Athens Defence Summit (ADS)

16:30 - 17:30

Panel IV: Africa’s Security Horizon — Sovereignty, Stability, and Strategic Competition

Africa is emerging as a central arena in global security, shaped by terrorism, political instability, and intensifying external competition. From the Sahel to the Horn and the Gulf of Guinea, security challenges are increasingly intertwined with economic resilience and state capacity. In this exchange, we discuss how African states can strengthen defence capabilities, enhance regional cooperation, and assert strategic autonomy while navigating the pressures and interests of global powers.
Panel

✓ General Robert Kariuki Kibochi, f. Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of Kenya

✓ Brigadier General Jethrow Chipili, Military Advisor to the Army Commander, Zambia

✓ Vlada Galan, Partner, Oracle Advisory Group

✓ Chair: Dr. Greg Mills, The Strategic Advisor to the President of Zambia; Senior Fellow & Member of the Advisory Board, RUSI - The Royal United Services Institute

17:30 - 18:00

In Conversation — From Partnership to Posture: Embedding Defence into Energy and Diplomatic Alliances

Conversation

✓ Alexandra Papadopoulou, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hellenic Republic

✓ Chair: Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council

18:00 - 19:00

Panel V: Rearming Europe: Capability, Industry, and Strategic Urgency

Europe is entering a period of accelerated rearmament, driven by war on its borders and a renewed awareness of hard power. Yet ambition must be matched by industrial capacity, procurement reform, and sustained political will. This panel examines how Europe can rebuild military strength at scale — aligning budgets, defence industry, and alliances to deliver credible deterrence in a more dangerous era.
Panel

✓ Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism

✓ Major General Georgios Panousis, Director of the 6th Branch of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS)

✓ Ed Robinson, Head of Defence, UK, Europe & India, AECOM

✓ Benita Ferrero-Waldner, f. European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy; f. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria

✓ Colonel Andriy Marasin, Armed Forces of Ukraine

✓ Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, CEO, Skaramangas Shipyards

✓Chair: Nigel Jones, Partner, TWJ Capital LLC

19:00 - 19:20

Closing Remarks: The Way Forward for Europe’s Strategic Autonomy

Closing

✓ Dimitris Avramopoulos, MP; f. European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship; f. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence of Greece

20:00 - 22:00

Gala Dinner

Gala

Athens City Hall

Conversation: After the Illusions — Security, Responsibility, and the World Ahead

Many of the assumptions that governed security policy no longer hold. Illusions of permanence, restraint, and automatic stability have dissolved. What remains is the burden of choice in an uncertain landscape. The future will belong to those who act with clarity. An evening of reflection, recognition, and institutional resolve.

✓ Miroslav Gačević, Deputy Minister of European Integration, Serbia

✓ Ehud Olmert, f. Prime Minister, State of Israel

✓ Jon Kahn, Chief Operating Officer, Breitbart News

✓ Dr. Greg Mills, The Strategic Advisor to the President of Zambia; Member of the Board, RUSI - The Royal United Services Institute

✓ Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council

✓ Faisal J. Abbas, Editor-in-Chief, Arab News; Deputy Chair of the Saudi Journalists' Association

✓ Chair: Konstantinos Davlos, Senior Editor, SKAI TV & Political

08:00 - 10:00

Breakfast Discussion (By Invitation Only)

Opening
10:00 - 11:05

Panel I: Code and Command — Sovereign Digital Infrastructure and the Future of Warfare

Modern warfare is sustained not only by weapons, but by software, secure networks, and mission-critical digital systems. From command structures to logistics, intelligence integration, and cyber resilience, sovereign digital infrastructure now underpins national defence. This panel explores how governments and trusted industry partners build secure, interoperable systems that define operational advantage in an era of multi-domain conflict. Power today depends on systems as much as strength.
Panel

✓ Dr. Ioannis Mertzanis, CEO, Space Hellas

✓ Dejan Malisanovic, CTO, Def Tech

✓ Kyriacos Sabatakakis, Country Managing Director, Accenture Greece

✓ George Menexis, CEO, THYREOS CYBER; CEO, SCYTALYS

✓ Dimitris Kontinos, BoD Technology Advisor, Bright Group

✓ Aggelos Vlachopoulos, Manager of IBM Technology Unit

✓ Vasilis Lymperopoulos, Head of Operations, Metrosoft

✓ Leonidas Papadopoulos, Founder & CEO, Helios Brain


✓ Chair: Elina Vlachou, Principal, EV Management Consulting

11:05 - 11:15

Keynote Remarks

Keynote


✓ Ioannis Tsakiris, Vice President, European Investment Bank

11:15 - 12:00

Panel II: The Home Front Revisited: Resilience, Internal Security, and Social Cohesion

Modern conflict does not stop at borders. Societies themselves have become targets — through energy pressure, migration flows, disinformation, and internal destabilisation. This discussion focuses on how states defend cohesion at home while remaining open, lawful, and free — and where the line between resilience and vulnerability truly lies.
Panel

✓ H.E. Hend Al Otaiba, f. Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to France; Founder of HAO Strategies

✓ Thanos Plevris, Minister of Migration and Asylum of the Hellenic Republic

✓ Anna Diamantopoulou, f. European Commissioner & Greek Cabinet Minister; President of DIKTYO

✓ Fabrice Leggeri, Member of the European Parliament; f. Executive Director of FRONTEX - European Border and Coast Guard Agency

✓Chair: Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri, Research Fellow, University of Aberdeen; Public Affairs, Demos

12:00 - 12:25

Keynote Speech & Fireside Chat: Aligning Defence Investment with Strategic Priorities and Critical Infrastructure Resilience – The Role of the Growthfund, Greece’s Sovereign Wealth Fund

Keynote

✓ Panagiotis Stampoulidis, Deputy CEO, Growthfund, the National Fund of Greece

✓ Chair: Nikos Filippidis, Journalist, SKAI TV

12:25 - 13:05

Keynote Address & Fireside Chat: Five Tests for Europe’s Security and Agency

Keynote

✓General Sir Nick Carter, f. Chief of the Defence Staff, United Kingdom & Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution

✓Chair: Manveen Rana, Senior Editor, The Times

13:05 - 13:55

Panel III: Roundtable: Europe’s Security at a Crossroads

The war in Ukraine has become a defining shock for Europe — a moment that has shattered assumptions and forced a fundamental reassessment of security, not unlike a continental 9/11. As conflict returns to the heart of the continent, the question is no longer whether Europe must act, but how decisively and with what ambition. This roundtable examines defence readiness, industrial capacity, and alliance cohesion — and how Europe can translate urgency into credible and sustained security.
Panel

✓ Hryhoriy Nemyria, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament; f. Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine

✓ Maira Myrogianni, Secretary General for Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic

✓Paul Glastris, Editor in Chief, The Washington Monthly Magazine; President, the Washington Monthly Institute; former Advisor to the President of the United States of America

✓Bujar Osmani, f. Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, f. Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE

✓ Mimi Kodheli, f. Vice President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly; f. Minister of Defence of Albania

✓ Ana Birchall, f. Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Justice, Romania

✓ Chair: Konstantinos Foutzopoulos, Executive Director, Athens Riviera Forum

13:55 - 14:35

Panel IV: The Arsenal of The World: Industrial Capacity and the Limits of Time

Wars are no longer decided only on the battlefield, but in factories, supply chains, and production lines. States face a hard constraint: time. This session examines whether they can rebuild defence-industrial capacity at the speed demanded by reality and what happens if they cannot.
Panel

✓ Nikolaos Papatsas, Board Member, EFA Group; Vice-Chairman at the Hellenic Aerospace Security & Defense Industries Group

✓ Walid Abukhaled, Chairman, Scopa Industries; CEO, Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) (2019-2024)

✓ Christoforos Boutsikakis, CEO, Hellenic Defence Systems

✓Chair: Alexia Tasouli, Anchorwoman, Naftemporiki TV

14:35 - 15:05

In Conversation — Sovereignty Is a Defence Industrial Supply Chain: Rethinking the Global Defence Industrial Base in an Age of Conditional Allies

Conversation

✓ Ivor Ichikowitz, Defence Industry Aerospace and Technology Investor, Founder of Paramount Group

✓ Basil Gavalas, Co-Founder, Athens Defence Summit (ADS)

15:05 - 15:35

In Conversation — Power Under Pressure: Energy Security in an Age of Strategic Competition

Energy has become a frontline of modern conflict. Pipelines, grids, shipping lanes, and transition technologies are now instruments of leverage as much as engines of growth. This session addresses how states and companies can protect critical energy infrastructure, secure supply routes, and manage the security risks of transition—while avoiding new dependencies that undermine sovereignty.
Conversation

✓ Stavros Papastavrou, Minister of Environment and Energy of the Hellenic Republic

✓ Chair: David Mortlock, f. Director for International Economic Affairs at the White House National Security Council; Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

15:35 - 16:05

Lunch Break

Lunch
16:05 - 16:55

Panel VI: The Southern Horizon — The Middle East in a Perilous Order

The Middle East stands at the centre of an increasingly volatile global landscape, where conflict dynamics, including the evolving confrontation with Iran, are reshaping regional balances. This session explores how states can safeguard sovereignty, navigate escalation risks, and build strategic partnerships grounded in security, deterrence, and regional stability.
Panel

Programming Partner: Slemani Strategic Forum (SSF)

✓ Daban Shadala, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq

✓ Mohammed Baharoon, Director General of the Dubai Public Policy Research Center (b’huth)

✓ Sinan Ciddi, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

✓ Faisal J. Abbas, Editor-in-Chief, Arab News; Deputy Chair of the Saudi Journalists' Association

✓ Massimo Khairrallah, Director of International Relations, Med-Or Leonardo Foundation

✓ Gilles Kepel, f. Special Envoy of President Emmanuel Macron for the Mediterranean

✓ Chair: Safeen Ghafour, Chairman, Slemani Strategic Forum

16:55 - 17:05

Keynote Address

Keynote

✓Marco Minniti, Chairman, Med-Or Leonardo Foundation; f. Minister of Interior & Secretary to the Prime Minister for Intelligence Services, Italy

17:05 - 17:45

Panel VII: Financing Power: Aligning Defence Investment with Strategic Priorities

In a more contested world, defence spending must be targeted, not just increased. This session explores how governments can align budgets with real strategic needs—prioritising capability, readiness, and long-term technological edge.
Panel

✓Artis Pabriks, f. Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Defence of the Republic of Latvia; Executive Director of MilTech Latvia

✓ Irakli Alasania, f. First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Georgia

✓ Federico Menna, Chief Executive Officer, 28DIGITAL

✓ Chair: Panos Charitos, Journalist

17:45 - 18:05

In Conversation

Conversation

✓ Michalis Chrisochoidis, Minister of Citizen Protection, Hellenic Republic

✓ Chair: George Karamanlis, Managing Editor, Political

18:05 - 19:05

Panel VIII: The Strait and Narrow: Securing the Sea Lanes in an Age of Blockade — Law, Conflict, and the Freedom of Commerce

Panel

Programming Partner: Council on International Mediation (CIM)

✓ H.E. Sheikh Nawaf bin Mubarak Al Thani, General & f. Director of Defence Intelligence Operations, State of Qatar; President, Council on International Mediation (CIM);

✓ Vasilis Kikilias, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Hellenic Republic

✓ Admiral Douglas Fears, 8th Homeland Security Advisor of the United States of America (2018-2019)

✓ David Mortlock, f. Director for International Economic Affairs at the White House National Security Council; Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

✓ Chair: Justin Russell, Executive Director, Council on International Mediation

19:05 - 19:20

In Conversation

Conversation

✓ Senator Tim Sheehy, United States Senator from Montana

✓ Chair: Matthew Boyle, Washington Bureau Chief, Breitbart News

19:20 - 20:00

Closing Plenary: Greece as a Defence Actor – Industry, Sovereignty, and the Way Forward

Greece stands at a strategic crossroads. As Europe rearms and global competition intensifies, the question is no longer whether to invest in defence — but how to translate geography, talent, and alliances into industrial capability. This closing plenary examines the future of the Greek defence ecosystem: from platform integration and export orientation to institutional reform and public–private alignment. What must change for Greece to move from procurement to production, from participant to actor? The path forward will determine not only national capability, but Greece’s position in the emerging European security architecture.
Closing

✓ Antonios P. Oikonomou, Secretary General, Ministry of National Defence of the Hellenic Republic

✓ Alexandros Diakopoulos, Executive Chairman of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry

✓ Nikolaos Papatsas, Board Member, EFA Group; Vice-Chairman at the Hellenic Aerospace Security & Defense Industries Group

✓ Admiral Nikolaos Tsounis, Honorary Chief of the Hellenic Staff

✓ Chair: Vassilis Nedos, Senior Editor, Kathimerini

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