Greece - Hellenic Army

The mission of the Army is to ensure the defence of the country and to protect the national independence and the territorial integrity of the homeland. The mission of the Hellenic Army, and Armed Forces in general, is defined by the National Defence Policy and the National Military Strategy, according to which the Hellenic Army should be capable of contributing to the deterrence of all types of threats, challenges or armed aggression against the country; to the effective management of crises; and, if deterrence fails, to the conduct of the necessary operations, in order to protect the integrity of the National Territory and to achieve the National Objectives.

At times of peace the duties of the Army include :

1. Maintaining a high operational readiness in co-operation with the other services of the Armed Forces, in order to effectively deter external threats.
2. The continuous vigilance for the security of the land borders of the country, as well as of the islands and islets of the Eastern Aegean and those of the Dodecanese.
3. Contributing to activities of social assistance programmes, emergency relief, support of public services, contribution to environmental protection and restoration works, organisation of cultural and athletic events, etc.
4. The joint contribution of the three services to international peace and security, the strengthening - support and promotion of the implementation of the joint defence area doctrine between Greece and Cyprus and working out the implementation of the "equivalent retaliation".

The main components of the Army are Arms and Corps. The Arms are assigned combat or combat support missions of the army. Combat Arms are Infantry, Cavalry-Armour and Artillery. Combat Support Arms are Engineers, Signals and Army Aviation. Arms carry out combat and Corps offer logistics support. It's composed of units, groups/Regiments and formations. The main formations of the army are the brigade, the division, the army corps and the field army. The Basic Unit is the Battalion. The Basic combat Group is the regiment (for the Infantry and Special Forces), the Artillery Command and the Artillery Group (for Artillery). Basic Formations are the Brigade, the Division, the Corps and the Army.

The Corps of the Army provide the logistical support. Combat Support Corps are Technical, Supply and Transportation, Ordnance and Medical. Other Corps : Financial, Geographic, R&D and Information Systems, Auditing, Military Registrars, Post, Military Bands, Quartermasters, Arms Corps Technicians Corps.

The structure of the forces of the Army includes the General Staff of Army, the Headquarters of 1st Army, a number of headquarters of the army corps, an important number of divisions and brigades, as well as a number of schools and training centers.

The new structure of the forces of the Army, as approved by the Government Council on Foreign Affairs and National Defence in July 1997, provides for the following:

• Continuation of the mechanisation of the Army and establishment of more Brigade level formations.
• Reduction of the Command Echelons and abolishment of the Division and the Regiment level of Infantry, to the greatest possible extent, in order to obtain the desirable flexibility and mobility in the areas of command and operations.
• The existence of sufficient forces at threatened areas for the protection of the borders.
• Establishment of powerful rapid reaction forces (Second Army Corps) including mechanised formations, army aviation Brigade, all the Special Forces and airborne units and other forces with the objective of:
  • Immediate intervention at any part of the country deemed necessary.
  • Implementation of the "equivalent retaliation".
  • Successful implementation of the Joint Defence Area Doctrine.
  • Fulfillment of the national obligations at the international level.
• A change in training policy, according to Greece's operational needs and the international standards.
• Enhancement of the Army's capabilities with all the necessary modern weapon systems.

Furthermore, in order to set out a single training policy for the Army, improve the quality and enhance its effectiveness, the Supreme Army Council has decided to establish the ''Doctrine and Training Directorate'', consisting of the Training Division, the Doctrine Division and all the schools and training centres of the Army.