Greece Military - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Hellenic Armed Forces: Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES; includes National Guard), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA; includes air defense) (2023)

note 1: the police (under the Ministry of Citizen Protection) and the armed forces (Ministry of National Defense) share law enforcement duties in certain border areas; border protection is coordinated by a deputy minister for national defense; the Greek Coast Guard is under the Ministry of Shipping Affairs and Island Policy

note 2: the National Guard was established in 1982 as an official part of the Army to help protect Greece and provide reinforcements and support to the Army in peacetime and in times of mobilization and war; members undergo weekly training run by the Army, which also provides weapons and ammunition

Military expenditures

3% of GDP (2023 est.)

3.9% of GDP (2022 est.)

3.7% of GDP (2021)

2.9% of GDP (2020)

2.5% of GDP (2019)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 125,000 active duty personnel (90,000 Army; 15,000 Navy; 20,000 Air Force); approximately 35,000 National Guard (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory consists of a mix of imported weapons from Europe and the US, as well as a limited number of domestically produced systems; in recent years, France, Germany, and the US have been the top suppliers; Greece's defense industry is capable of producing a range of military hardware, including naval vessels and associated subsystems (2023)

note: Greece is in the midst of a significant military modernization program which includes acquisitions of fighter aircraft and naval ships from France and armored vehicles and tanks from Germany; it has also boosted purchases of US equipment, including fighter aircraft upgrades, helicopters, and naval patrol craft

Military service age and obligation

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 12-month obligation for all services (note - as an exception, the duration of the full military service is 9 instead of 12 months if conscripts, after the initial training, serve the entire remaining time in certain areas of the eastern borders, in Cyprus, or in certain military units); 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2023)

note 1: compulsory service applies to any individual whom the Greek authorities consider to be Greek, regardless of whether the individual considers himself Greek, has a foreign citizenship and passport, or was born or lives outside of Greece; Greek citizens living permanently outside of Greece have the right to postpone their conscription; they are permanently exempted from their military obligations when they reach the age of 45 years old

note 2: up to 50% of the Greek military is comprised of conscripts

note 3: as of 2019, women comprised approximately 19% of the military's full-time personnel

Military deployments

approximately 1,000 Cyprus; 100 Kosovo (NATO); 140 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2023)

Military - note

Greece joined NATO in 1952

NOTE: The information regarding Greece on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Greece 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Greece 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.