Greece Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Military === {{Main|Hellenic Armed Forces}} {{multiple image | width1 = 195 | width2 = 185 | image1 = HAF F-16D Falcon.jpg | caption1 = An [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]], the main combat aircraft of the [[Hellenic Air Force]], during an airshow | image2 = Hellenic Army - LEO2A6HEL - 7231.jpg | caption2 = A [[Leopard 2]]A6 HEL of the [[Hellenic Army]] on parade in Athens }} The Hellenic Armed Forces are overseen by the [[Hellenic National Defense General Staff]] (Greek: Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας – ΓΕΕΘΑ), with civilian authority vested in the [[Ministry of National Defence (Greece)|Ministry of National Defence]]. It consists of three branches:<ref name="Agency 2013 p. 991">{{cite book | last=Agency | first=C.I. | title=The CIA World Factbook 2014 | publisher=Skyhorse | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-62873-451-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aFuCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT991 | access-date=14 February 2023 | page=991}}</ref> * [[Hellenic Army]] (Ellinikos Stratos, ES) * [[Hellenic Navy]] (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN) * [[Hellenic Air Force]] (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA) Moreover, Greece maintains the [[Hellenic Coast Guard]] for law enforcement at sea, search and rescue, and port operations. Though it can support the navy during wartime, it resides under the authority of the [[Ministry of Shipping (Greece)|Ministry of Shipping]]. Greek military personnel total 364,050, of whom 142,700 are active and 221,350 are reserve. Greece [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|ranks 28th in the world]] in the number of citizens serving in the armed forces. [[Conscription in Greece|Mandatory military service]] is generally one year for 19 to 45 year olds.<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Factbook – Greece|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greece/ |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> Additionally, Greek males between the ages of 18 and 60 who live in strategically sensitive areas may be required to serve part-time in the National Guard. As a member of [[NATO]], the Greek military participates in exercises and deployments under the auspices of the alliance, although its involvement in NATO missions is minimal.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dempsey|first1=Judy|title=EU and NATO Look on at Greece's Pampered Armed Forces|url=http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/49185 |publisher=Carnegie Europe|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> Greece spends over US$7 billion annually on its military, or 2.3 percent of GDP, the [[List of countries by military expenditures|24th-highest in the world]] in absolute terms, the [[List of countries by military expenditure per capita|seventh-highest]] on a per capita basis, and the second-highest in NATO after the United States. Moreover, Greece is one of only five NATO countries to meet or surpass the minimum defence spending target of 2 percent of GDP. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page