Greece's air force has opened a new space operations command.
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said the country will put 12 dedicated military satellites into orbit so it no longer depends on foreign-controlled providers in a crisis.
The command, at Dekeleia Air Base north of Athens, will bring satellite intelligence, surveillance and communications into the armed forces' operational planning.
Mr. Dendias said military communications in wartime cannot rely on privately owned satellites controlled from abroad.
He cited Ukraine, where losing access to space-based services disrupted military communications.
The planned network will include six optical observation satellites and three signals intelligence satellites, which intercept electronic communications. The remaining three will be radar satellites that can capture images at night and through cloud cover.
Mr. Dendias did not give a timeline or cost.
He called the new command a key step in preparing the military for warfare that spans land, sea, air, space, cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum.
It is part of Agenda 2030, his sweeping overhaul of the armed forces, which also covers the 2024-2035 force structure.
Greece, a NATO member, is spending heavily to modernize its military amid long-running tensions with neighboring Turkey.
Purchases include French Rafale fighter jets and U.S. F-35 stealth fighters.