A new addition to this year's AUSA expo is the Hellenic Pavilion, which offers Greek companies a chance to showcase their products alongside other top international contractors.

In the face of Greece's financial woes, Greek firms are looking for international customers, and eight companies joined together to present booths in the Hellenic Pavilion.

Nikos Efentakis, chairman and managing director of Dasyc, compared his time at AUSA to with a scouting expedition to make new business contacts as his company tries to find a way into the US market.

"Our mission this time is reconnaissance, mostly, trying at the end of the day to have firm business contacts," he said Tuesday.

Dasyc makes transportable hangars comprised of panels of the same size, which can be assembled into arches using only blots, screws and screwdrivers. The arches are bolted together, creating a temporary hangar big enough to house jets and helicopters, including US Chinooks.

"We installed three of them for the Greek Air Force for rescue helicopters," Efentakis said, adding that the positive feedback encouraged Dasyc to explore potential sales in the US market.

Charikleia Karameri, spokeswoman for Hellenic Vehicle Industry, which makes armored vehicles and support vehicles, noted that the company's primary customer has traditionally been the Greek MoD. She echoed a common refrain: In order for Greek defense firms to grow, they increasingly need to look abroad for new sales and partners.

"Despite the situation that there is in Greece, we are trying to grow our business so that our country can do better. We hope that this will be fruitful," she said of their participation in AUSA.

"If we stay in Greece and wait for the United States to buy from us, we will have to wait too long," added Efentakis.

Convention attendees visit the Theon Sensors booth in the Hellenic Pavilion at the annual Association of the US Army conference at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, October 13, 2015.

Convention attendees visit the Theon Sensors booth in the Hellenic Pavilion on Oct. 13 at the annual Association of the US Army conference in Washington.

Photo Credit: Mike Morones/Military Times

Greece is not alone in its budget woes, and the Greek officials said they had seen American companies focus more on international markets in the face of shrinking Pentagon budgets.

Thomas Dakos, CTO of Theon Sensors, described US companies as "fierce competitors."

"We can see that the American companies are getting more active and aggressive internationally after they have seen cuts here," he said. "Right now we see a clear trend of them trying to get into our international markets."

Theon Sensors makes electro-optics, including night vision binoculars, monoculars and weapons sights.

While geopolitical events don't immediately pose direct threats to Greece, Russian involvement in Ukraine and Syria has heightened tensions across Europe, and the Greek MoD is faced with pressure to improve its defenses, as are other European countries, said Dakos. Refugees from Syria and Africa, continue to stream into Greece and other European countries, further complicate the situation.

"The problem of the refugees is not an entirely Greek problem. We have to solve it in conjunction with other countries. This is a pan-European, if not a global, problem to be solved," he said.

Efentakis envisioned potential use for Dasyc's transportable hanger as temporary housing for refugees. By using a temporary structure, Greece would not be left with a glut of empty buildings once the flow of refugees abates. A temporary structure could also dissipate local political objections to providing shelter for refugees, he said.

"Nobody wants a permanent huge refugee camp to be located near them," he said.

Other companies participating in the Hellenic Pavilion include Eflon, Hellenic Aerospace Industry, Hellenic Defense Systems, Intracom Defense Electronics, and Alpha Systems.

Email: aclevenger@defensenews.com

Twitter: @andclev

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