On Monday 2 December 2024, the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias attended the information event of the Ministry of National Defence regarding Autism, under the title “Making the invisible visible”, organised by initiative of the Deputy Minister of National Defence Giannis Kefalogiannis, and held at the Amphitheatre “Major D. Kamberos”.
The event, which was addressed by Mr. Dendias and Mr. Kefalogiannis, as well as the Chief/HNDGS General Dimitrios Choupis, is part of the framework of actions of the “Year of Solidarity for the Armed Forces”, as the year 2024 has been named.
The event was also attended by Chief/HAGS Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis, Chief/HNGS Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras HN and Chief/HAFGS Lieutenant General Dimosthenis Gregoriadis, as well as senior and junior officers.
The coach and former international basketball player Dimitris Papanikolaou, as well as Lieutenant Colonel (L) Christina Ipsilantou were speakers, who expressed their personal experiences and the struggle they fight every day for the members of their families, being within the spectrum of autism.
Journalist Christina Vidou had the coordination of the event.
The event was also attended by approximately three thousand officers, NCOs, students of military academies and soldiers, from the amphitheatres of 17 Big Formations and Military Academies of the Armed Forces, remotely and in direct linking with the Amphitheatre “Major D. Kaberos”.
The event was also attended by the General Director of Defence Armaments and Investments of the Ministry of National Defence Major General Ioannis Bouras, the General Director of Financial Planning and Support Rear Admiral (ret.) Panagiotis Stathopoulos and the General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations Ambassador honorary Mihail Spinellis.
Mr. Dendias stressed in his address:
“Deputy Minister, Chiefs, dear family of Dimitris Papanikolaou, military, civilian personnel, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to be in this event of the Armed Forces regarding the briefing and awareness concerning autism.
I would like to clarify from the beginning how we, as political leadership, as Ministry of National Defence, perceive autism.
We do not believe that it is a problem to be resolved. We believe that it is a developmental disorder that needs understanding. We also want to clarify that it is not a mental deprivation, but the exact opposite.
It concerns persons with high mental capabilities.
With regard to this, the State has the obligation to first conceive and then implement policies that contribute to the essential support of the persons with autism and their families; policies for learning, for the smooth incorporation in the social and financial environment.
I would like to say that this does not constitute a measure of social policy in the strict sense, exactly because it regards persons with special abilities. It constitutes a “weapon” of the State to use these abilities to the benefit of the society; to the benefit of the persons and society. It is a very important human chapter.
I have mentioned in the recent past, before the planning of today’s event by the Deputy Minister Mr. Giannis Kefalogiannis, whom I want to congratulate, the commitment of the Ministry to create Shelters of Supportive Living Conditions for Disabled children.
The Ministry feels the need to respond to the agony of the military and civilian personnel who have a member in the family needing support, a disabled child.
Our goal is the creation of conditions for lifelong support, so that the family can live normally.
Particularly, I would like to say that we want to give credibility to a big concern of the parents: the responsibility of taking care of a child when the parents have passed away; something that will happen in the remotest future yet, at some time, they will be deceased.
Because we know that this is a great source of agony for these families.
We want our members, our civilian personnel and, in the end, the whole society by our example, to reach a point that the families feel we are by their side, in difficult times.
The statement of good will is a very nice thing and I always say that no one has the monopoly of the heart – I am not the first to say this, Giscard d’ Estaing said it to Francois Mitterrand and it is a very good point – but we are trying beyond the good will to be practical, to have timetables, to fulfill them and be judged on the basis of the timetables and action plans which we deliver and announce.
First, we will upgrade the Centre for Children Special Care, which already operates with specialized programmes and actions adjusted to the needs of the children with autism.
But we want to take a step further.
Besides the self-evident care for these children, in childhood, we want to study and result to a timetable and a plan of using the proven special abilities of these children by the Ministry of National Defence after their coming of age. To be able, that is, to give them a job; to have a normal profession.
We try to achieve such conditions in the context of the works of the Hellenic Armed Forces and the Ministry of National Defence.
This will assure their proper living conditions, their smooth incorporation to society, and we will provide any necessary means to support them for life.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the system of values of today’s liberal open society, autism becomes accepted as an obvious – not invisible – reality, with many capabilities and even more choices. Not as a problem that we must hide under the table or behind closed doors.
Today, I would like to state with my presence here, the commitment of this Ministry, so that the care of persons with autism be ensured for life, of all the children of the families of the members of the Armed Forces and our civilian personnel.
To assure, that is, their rights for life, regarding health, learning and work.
Finally, to assure their right to life.
Thank you”.
Responding to a question regarding the potential of the persons in the spectrum of autism to have a job, the Minister of National Defence stated:
“First, I have no specialization on this matter. So, any answer has to do with the information I have due to the activity of creating an environment of protecting these children, the specific capabilities for life. That is to use them after they come of age as well.
I say once more, I do not know even the one tenth from what Dimitris (Papanikolaou) and Lieutenant Colonel know. But there is a very simple and basic accepted fact. These persons have special abilities; abilities far beyond the average man.
Dimitris mentioned some geniuses. There are many more genius persons alive. There is a rumour that Bill Gates has Asperger. It is possible Elon Musk has it too. He said it in public. Persons who have achieved marvellous things. Someone may like them or not. But they have achieved marvellous things.
So, what is the matter? To create in the Armed Forces a working environment in which the Armed Forces of our Country can give a work opportunity, not as charity. Again with regard to this I want to completely agree with Dimitris. Not as charity. Not with percentages, but because these persons have abilities that the Armed Forces and the Ministry of National Defence need.
Exactly in today’s environment of Artificial Intelligence, of Big Data, the capabilities they have to distinguish details, the use of numbers and the creation of algorithms are necessary. Otherwise, there is no Artificial Intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence is based on many data, the Big Data. So, I have said and I want to tell you that a reaction resulted of this. I have said that they have special abilities of recognizing pictures. This was perceived awkwardly that I am transforming the children to “killers”, something unbelievable!
The capability of characterizing pictures and deliver them to the competent agencies of the Ministry of National Defence and the Armed Forces is something we have any intension and capability to use, because we need it.
Of course, is serving in the Armed Forces of one’s Country something negative? That is, must we perceive it as a negative thing? Instead of perceiving it as an opportunity for the Country to benefit of this talent?
I want to say that we will see exactly due to Artificial Intelligence a lot of job opportunities to appear for the children that have autism today and tomorrow will be adults and will look for work. Simply, we must have an open mind to see it.
To see the ability, the faith to something better that comes out of this ability. This will be a great relief for the parents. Dimitris and Lieutenant Colonel can express it better. You let a child who has a solid job, a solid profession, a steady salary, a solid working environment, contribute. What is better? What can we offer to our members better than that?
I have some numbers of the general population in percentage indicating that we do not talk for a few isolated cases. We talk in statistical terms for a very important percentage. We are at a standard today. I imagine tomorrow the diagnostic capability will increase, many more cases will be detected that today we do not have the tool to diagnose them.
So, the creation of job opportunities for this part of our population is extremely important. At least, this is how I feel”.
Responding to one more question relative to the subject, Mr. Dendias stated:
“I think it was said with an emotional tone as well. The reality is that in the context of the new Electronic Warfare Directorate this provision will exist, because there is great ability and huge human chapter. As long as Artificial Intelligence is developing, so will the needs. Of course, all this, is incorporated in the context of the logical support of the families of our members, and especially of our members themselves to feel that there is a smooth continuity, even when they have passed away.
During his address the Deputy Minister of National Defence projected the actions of the Ministry for the modernization of the existing Centre for Children Special Care at the Naval Hospital in Piraeus, as well as the planning for the establishment of “Shelters of Supportive Living Conditions” for the adult disabled persons, children of Military and Civilian personnel.
In particular, Mr. Kefalogiannis stated among other things:
“On the occasion of tomorrow’s World Day of Disabled Persons, I would like to point out that any kind of disability, visible or invisible, is regarded by the Ministry of National Defence as a situation that activates reorganizations and counterbalancing measures of any difficulties and limitations they face.
So, we have under development the establishment of a dental clinic for disabled persons, the modification of the law regarding exemption from service, in order to relieve the families and the conscripts themselves with serious physical or mental disability, the re-examination in total of the framework of care measures for army officers that have disabled members and regarding for e.g. matters of accommodation, summer vacations, adjustment of work hours, exemption from duties-exercises etc, in order to compensate for the serious difficulties they face and the achievement of a dignified normality in every day’s life.
We have also under development actions-works regarding the development of structures and services, aiming at the full cover of the educational needs and the assurance of the continuity of the care during the life time of the autistic persons.
It is about the modernization and improvement of the existing Centre for Children Special Care at the Naval Hospital in Piraeus, which operates since 2006 and offers the children of the big family of the Armed Forces quality evaluation services, intervention and support, focusing on the individualized needs of every child and the systemic support of the whole family.
Finally, the digital issue of a disability card is now a fact, with the digitization of the expert opinions of the Supreme Medical Committees of the Armed Forces.
We plan the establishment of “Shelters of Supportive Living Conditions” for the adult disabled persons, children of Military and Civilian personnel, who, due to the disability and the challenges they face, need continuous support and care, in order to smoothly incorporate and actively participate in every aspect of life.
So, today we are here, present for the children and the adults with disability, for the autistic children and the autistic adults and their families. We are here to express our solidarity regarding the serious challenges and difficulties they face and to state beyond any doubt that the care for the workforce we command is the regulator of the total of the principles and arrangements concerning the institution, the operation and personnel of the Armed Forces.
Because when the military parents know that their children get from the Country the necessary education and care, that as adults later they will be able to live with dignity beyond and apart from them, then it will be them who with greater morale and strength will keep on defending the Country, as sleepless guardians of its territorial integrity and interests”.