Hellenic National Defence General Staff

Highest staff organization in the Hellenic Armed Forces

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)| Ever to Excel
Αἰὲν Ἀριστεύειν
Een aristevin
Website| www.geetha.mil.gr
Commanders
Chief| General Dimitrios Choupis
Notable
commanders| Field Marshal Alexandros Papagos
Insignia
Abbreviation| ΓΕΕΘΑ ("HNDGS")
Flag|

Military unit

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. Greek: ΑΕΔ) established in its place.

## The Chief of the HNDGS

[edit]

The Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (Αρχηγός ΓΕΕΘΑ, Α/ΓΕΕΘΑ) conducts the HNDGS and is the main adviser to The National Security Governmental Council (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]

* Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Army variant)

* Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Navy variant)

* Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Air Force variant)

### List of chiefs of the HNDGS

[edit]

No. | Portrait  | Chief of the HNDGS | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Papagos, AlexandrosField Marshal
Alexandros Papagos
(1883–1955)
[a]| 1950| 1951| 0–1 years|  Hellenic Army| –

| Grigoropoulos, TheodotosLieutenant general
Theodotos Grigoropoulos| 1951| 1952| 0–1 years|  Hellenic Army| –

| Kitrilakis, StylianosLieutenant general
Stylianos Kitrilakis [el]
(1896–1964)| 1952| 1954| 1–2 years|  Hellenic Army| –

| Dovas, KonstantinosLieutenant general
Konstantinos Dovas
(1898–1973)| 1954| 1959| 4–5 years|  Hellenic Army| –

| Frontistis, AthanasiosLieutenant general
Athanasios Frontistis
(1900–1979)| 1959| 1962| 2–3 years|  Hellenic Army| –

| Pipilis, IoannisLieutenant general
Ioannis Pipilis [el]
(1903–1992)| 1962| 1965| 2–3 years|  Hellenic Army| –

| Tsolakas, KonstantinosLieutenant general
Konstantinos Tsolakas| 1965| 1967| 1–2 years|  Hellenic Army| –

| Avgeris, SpyridonVice admiral
Spyridon Avgeris
(1909–1972)
[b]| 30 March 1967| 14 December 1967| 259 days|  Hellenic Navy| –

| Angelis, OdysseasGeneral
Odysseas Angelis
(1912–1987)
[c]| 1967| 16 August 1973| 5–6 years|  Hellenic Army| –
10|

| Zagorianakos, DimitriosGeneral
Dimitrios Zagorianakos [el]
(1918–1977)
[d]| 16 August 1973| 25 November 1973| 101 days|  Hellenic Army| –
11|

| Bonanos, GrigoriosGeneral
Grigorios Bonanos
[e]| 25 November 1973| 1974| 0–1 years|  Hellenic Army| –
12|

| Arbouzis, DionysiosGeneral
Dionysios Arbouzis
(1913–1987)
[f]| 1974| 1976| 1–2 years|  Hellenic Army| –
13|

| Davos, IoannisGeneral
Ioannis Davos
(1918–2008)
[g]| 14 September 1976| 10 January 1980| 3 years, 118 days|  Hellenic Army| –
14|

| Gratzios, AgamemnonGeneral
Agamemnon Gratzios
(1922–1993)| 11 January 1980| 19 January 1982| 2 years, 8 days|  Hellenic Army| –
15|

| Degiannis, TheodorosAdmiral
Theodoros Degiannis
(1926–2006)| 1982| 1984| 1–2 years|  Hellenic Navy| –
16|

| Kouris, NikolaosAir Chief Marshal
Nikolaos Kouris [el]
(1930–2018)| 1984| 1989| 4–5 years|  Hellenic Air Force| –
17|

| Vellidis, StamatisGeneral
Stamatis Vellidis
(1928–2021)| 1989| 1990| 0–1 years|  Hellenic Army| –
18|

| Veryvakis, IoannisGeneral
Ioannis Veryvakis
(1930–2019)| 1990| 16 October 1993| 2–3 years|  Hellenic Army| –
19|

| Skarvelis, DimitriosGeneral
Dimitrios Skarvelis [el]
(born 1933)| 16 October 1993| 16 December 1993| 61 days|  Hellenic Army| –
20|

| Lymberis, ChristosAdmiral
Christos Lymberis [el]
(born 1935)
[h]| 16 December 1993| 1996| 2–3 years|  Hellenic Navy| –
21|

| Tzoganis, AthanasiosAir Chief Marshal
Athanasios Tzoganis
(born 1939)| 1996| 1999| 2–3 years|  Hellenic Air Force| –
22|

| Paragioudakis, ManousosGeneral
Manousos Paragioudakis [el]
(born 1938)| 1999| 2002| 2–3 years|  Hellenic Army| –
23|

| Antonakopoulos, GeorgiosGeneral
Georgios Antonakopoulos [el]
(born 1943)| 2002| 16 February 2005| 2–3 years|  Hellenic Army| –
24|

| Chinofotis, PanagiotisAdmiral
Panagiotis Chinofotis
(born 1949)| 16 February 2005| 21 August 2007| 2 years, 186 days|  Hellenic Navy| –
25|

| Grapsas, DimitriosGeneral
Dimitrios Grapsas
(born 1948)| 21 August 2007| 6 August 2009| 1 year, 350 days|  Hellenic Army| –
26|

| Giangos, IoannisAir Chief Marshal
Ioannis Giangos
(born 1951)| 6 August 2009| 1 November 2011| 2 years, 87 days|  Hellenic Air Force| –
27|

| Kostarakos, MichailGeneral
Michail Kostarakos
(1956–2023)| 1 November 2011| 15 December 2015| 4 years, 44 days|  Hellenic Army| –
28|

| Apostolakis, EvangelosAdmiral
Evangelos Apostolakis
(born 1957)| 15 December 2015| 14 January 2019| 3 years, 30 days|  Hellenic Navy| –

| Floros, KonstantinosLieutenant General
Konstantinos Floros
(born 1961)
Acting| 14 January 2019| 25 January 2019| 11 days|  Hellenic Army| –
29|

| Christodoulou, ChristosAir Chief Marshal
Christos Christodoulou [el]
(born 1958)| 25 January 2019| 17 January 2020| 357 days|  Hellenic Air Force| –
30|

| Floros, KonstantinosGeneral
Konstantinos Floros
(born 1961)| 17 January 2020| 12 January 2024| 3 years, 360 days|  Hellenic Army| –
31|

| Choupis, DimitriosGeneral
Dimitrios Choupis
(born 1965)| 12 January 2024| Incumbent| 263 days|  Hellenic Army| [2]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Resigned to found Greek Rally party.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ Installed by the military regime. "Chief of the Armed Forces" from December 1968.
4. ^ Chief of the Armed Forces during the military regime. Held the post at the time of the Athens Polytechnic uprising in November 1973. Dismissed following the coup of Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannidis.
5. ^ Chief of the Armed Forces during the military regime.
6. ^ Chief of the Armed Forces following the fall of the military regime.
7. ^ Chief of the Armed Forces, from August 1977 Chief of the re-formed HNDGS.
8. ^ Dismissed following the Imia crisis.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "ΚΥΣΕΑ - Κρίσεις 2020: Αυτή είναι η νέα ηγεσία των Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων". www.armyvoice.gr (in Greek). 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
2. ^ "Δημήτρης Χούπης: Το βιογραφικό σημείωμα του νέου αρχηγού ΓΕΕΘΑ" (in Greek). Kathimerini. 12 January 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Hellenic Ministry of Defence – Official Site Archived 2013-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
* Hellenic National Defence General Staff – Official Site
* Former Chiefs of Defence – Hellenic National Defence General Staff – Official Site

* v
* t
* e

Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff

* Papagos
* Grigoropoulos
* Kitrilakis
* Dovas
* Frontistis
* Pipilis
* Tsolakas
* Avgeris
* Angelis§
* Zagorianakos§
* Bonanos§
* Arbouzis§
* Davos§
* Gratzios
* Degiannis
* Kouris
* Vellidis
* Veryvakis
* Skarvelis
* Lymberis
* Tzoganis
* Paragioudakis
* Antonakopoulos
* Chinofotis
* Grapsas
* Giangos
* Kostarakos
* Apostolakis
* Floros‡
* Christodoulou
* Floros
* Choupis

§ Under the title "Chief of the Armed Forces" ‡ acting chief

* v
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Hellenic Armed Forces

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