| Hellenic National Defence General Staff | |
|---|---|
| Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας | |
) 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 | |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Country | Greece |
| Branch | Armed forces |
| Type | Military staff |
| Part of | Hellenic Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Ministry of National Defence, Psychiko, Athens, Greece |
| Motto(s) | Αἰὲν Ἀριστεύειν ("Ever to Excel") |
| Commanders | |
| Chief | General Konstantinos Floros |
| Notable commanders | Field Marshal Alexandros Papagos |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | ΓΕΕΘΑ ("HNDGS") |
| Flag | ) |
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 (Greek: Αρχηγείο Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων, abbr. ΑΕΔ) established in its place.
The Chief of the HNDGS
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 Defence (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 c. 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 17 January 2020, the incumbent Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, is General Konstantinos Floros.[1]
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Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Army variant)
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Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Navy variant)
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Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Air Force variant)
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List of chiefs of the HNDGS
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the HNDGS | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Field Marshal Alexandros Papagos (1883–1955) [a] | 1950 | 1951 | 0–1 years |  Hellenic Army | |
| 2 | Lieutenant General Theodotos Grigoropoulos | 1951 | 1952 | 0–1 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 3 | Lieutenant General Stylianos Kitrilakis (1896–1964) | 1952 | 1954 | 1–2 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 4 | Lieutenant General Konstantinos Dovas (1898–1973) | 1954 | 1959 | 4–5 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 5 | Lieutenant General Athanasios Frontistis (1900–1979) | 1959 | 1962 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 6 | Lieutenant General Ioannis Pipilis | 1962 | 1965 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 7 | Lieutenant General Konstantinos Tsolakas | 1965 | 1967 | 1–2 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 8 | Vice Admiral Spyridon Avgeris (1909–1972) [b] | 30 March 1967 | 14 December 1967 | 259 days |  Hellenic Navy | |
| 9 | General Odysseas Angelis (1912–1987) [c] | 1967 | 16 August 1973 | 5–6 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 10 | General Dimitrios Zagorianakos (1918–1977) [d] | 16 August 1973 | 25 November 1973 | 101 days | Hellenic Army | |
| 11 | General Grigorios Bonanos [d] | 25 November 1973 | 1974 | 0–1 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 12 | General Dionysios Arbouzis (1913–1987) [e] | 1974 | 1976 | 1–2 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 13 | General Ioannis Davos (1918–2008) [f] | 14 September 1976 | 10 January 1980 | 3 years, 118 days | Hellenic Army | |
| 14 | General Agamemnon Gratzios (1922–1993) | 11 January 1980 | 19 January 1982 | 2 years, 8 days | Hellenic Army | |
| 15 | Admiral Theodoros Degiannis (1926–2006) | 1982 | 1984 | 1–2 years | Hellenic Navy | |
| 16 | Air Chief Marshal Nikolaos Kouris (born 1930) | 1984 | 1989 | 4–5 years |  Hellenic Air Force | |
| 17 | General Stamatis Vellidis (born 1928) | 1989 | 1990 | 0–1 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 18 | General Ioannis Veryvakis (1930–2019) | 1990 | 16 October 1993 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 19 | General Dimitrios Skarvelis (born 1933) | 16 October 1993 | 16 December 1993 | 61 days | Hellenic Army | |
| 20 | Admiral Christos Lymberis (born 1935) [g] | 16 December 1993 | 1996 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Navy | |
| 21 | Air Chief Marshal Athanasios Tzoganis (born 1939) | 1996 | 1999 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Air Force | |
| 22 | General Manousos Paragioudakis (born 1938) | 1999 | 2002 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 23 | General Georgios Antonakopoulos (born 1943) | 2002 | 16 February 2005 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | |
| 24 | Admiral Panagiotis Chinofotis (born 1949) | 16 February 2005 | 21 August 2007 | 2 years, 186 days | Hellenic Navy | |
| 25 | General Dimitrios Grapsas (born 1948) | 21 August 2007 | 6 August 2009 | 1 year, 350 days | Hellenic Army | |
| 26 | Air Chief Marshal Ioannis Giangos (born 1951) | 6 August 2009 | 1 November 2011 | 2 years, 87 days | Hellenic Air Force | |
| 27 | General Michail Kostarakos (born 1956) | 1 November 2011 | 15 December 2015 | 4 years, 44 days | Hellenic Army | |
| 28 | Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis (born 1957) | 15 December 2015 | 14 January 2019 | 3 years, 30 days | Hellenic Navy | |
| – | Lieutenant General Konstantinos Floros (born 1961) Acting | 14 January 2019 | 25 January 2019 | 11 days | Hellenic Army | |
| 29 | Air Chief Marshal Christos Christodoulou (born 1958) | 25 January 2019 | 17 January 2020 | 357 days | Hellenic Air Force | |
| 30 | General Konstantinos Floros (born 1961) | 17 January 2020 | Incumbent | 1 year, 29 days | Hellenic Army |
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Notes
- ^ Resigned to found Greek Rally party
- ^ Held the post at the time of the coup d'état in April 1967 which established the military regime. Dismissed by the military regime following the failed counter-coup of King Constantine II in December 1967
- ^ Installed by the military regime. "Chief of the Armed Forces" from December 1968
- ^ a b Chief of the Armed Forces during the military regime
- ^ Chief of the Armed Forces following the fall of the military regime
- ^ Chief of the Armed Forces, from August 1977 Chief of the re-formed HNDGS
- ^ Dismissed following the Imia crisis
References
- ^ "ΚΥΣΕΑ - Κρίσεις 2020: Αυτή είναι η νέα ηγεσία των Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων". www.armyvoice.gr (in Greek). 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2020-01-17.