Hellenic National Defence General Staff

Emblem of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff. The Corinthian helmet represents the Hellenic Army, the anchor the Hellenic Navy, and the wings the Hellenic Air Force

The Hellenic National Defence General Staff (Greek: Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας, abbr. ΓΕΕΘΑ) is the senior staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces. It was established in 1950, when the separate armed services ministries were consolidated into the Ministry of National Defence. Its role in peacetime was as a coordinating and senior consultative body at the disposal of the Greek government, and in wartime as the overall headquarters of the Armed Forces. In recent years, through ongoing efforts at increased inter-services cooperation and integration, the HNDGS has assumed peacetime operational control over the separate branches. Between 19 December 1968 and 10 August 1977, the HNDGS was abolished, and the Armed Forces Headquarters (Αρχηγείο Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων) established in its place.

Chief

The Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (Greek: Αρχηγός ΓΕΕΘΑ, Α/ΓΕΕΘΑ) conducts the HNDGS and is the main adviser to the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) and to the Minister of Defence on military issues. Through the Chiefs of General Staffs, he carries out the operational commanding of the Joint Headquarters and the units that come under them, as well as the rest forces, when it comes to the issues of operation plans implementation and the Crises management System implementation, conduction of operations outside the national territory and participation of the Armed Forces in the confrontation of special situations during peace time.

He constructs the National Military Strategy after taking into consideration the suggestions of the General Staffs of the Armed Forces Services and according to the directions of the Ministry of Defence he manages and proposes the priority of the armament programs and suggests the general policy directions and priorities on every operational objective.

Traditionally, since ca. 1970, the Chief of the HNDGS holds the rank of full General, Admiral or Air Chief Marshal, and is the only serving four-star officer of the Hellenic Armed Forces (as opposed to retired, since three-star ranks are often promoted one rank on retirement). Since 15 September 2015, the Chief of the HNDGS is Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis.

Past chiefs of HNDGS

Period	Rank	Name and Surname	Notes
2015–present	Admiral	Evangelos Apostolakis
2011–2015	General	Michail Kostarakos
2009–2011	Air Chief Marshal	Ioannis Giagkos
2007–2009	General	Dimitrios Grapsas
2005–2007	Admiral	Panagiotis Chinofotis
2002–2005	General	Georgios Antonakopoulos
1999–2002	General	Manousos Paragioudakis
1996–1999	Air Chief Marshal	Athanasios Tzoganis
1993–1996	Admiral	Christos Lymberis	Dismissed following the Imia crisis
1993	General	Dimitrios Skarvelis
1990–1993	General	Ioannis Veryvakis
1989–1990	General	Stamatis Vellidis
1984–1989	Air Chief Marshal	Nikolaos Kouris
1982–1984	Admiral	Theodoros Degiannis
1980–1982	General	Agamemnon Gratsios
1976–1980	General	Ioannis Davos	Chief of the Armed Forces, from August 1977 Chief of the re-formed HNDGS
1974–1976	General	Dionysios Arbouzis	Chief of the Armed Forces following the fall of the military regime
1973–1974	General	Grigorios Bonanos	Chief of the Armed Forces during the military regime
1973	General	Dimitrios Zagorianakos	Chief of the Armed Forces during the military regime
1967–1973	General	Odysseas Angelis	Installed by the military regime. "Chief of the Armed Forces" from December 1968
1967	Vice Admiral	Spyridon Avgeris
1965–1967	Lt. General	Konstantinos Tsolakas
1962–1965	Lt. General	Ioannis Pipilis
1959–1962	Lt. General	Athanasios Frontistis
1954–1959	Lt. General	Konstantinos Dovas
1952–1954	Lt. General	Stylianos Kitrilakis
1951–1952	Lt. General	Theodotos Grigoropoulos
1950–1951	Field Marshal	Alexandros Papagos	Resigned to found Greek Rally party

External links

• Hellenic Ministry of Defence - Official Site
• Hellenic National Defence General Staff - Official Site