Who Are The Greek Special Forces?

!±8± Who Are The Greek Special Forces?

Greek Special Forces, also called the Hellenic Army are part of the national defense of Greece and are essentially land forces. They comprise of 3 regiments with a strength of 100,000 members during peacetime and the capacity of increasing it to 1.5 million troops during times of war. Their motto is "Who Dares Wins". Military service in Greece is compulsory.

Their History

The Greek Special Forces began in 1828 during the fight for Greek Independence. Their emblem is a combination of modern Greece, the Greek Orthodox Church and the Byzantine Empire.

How To Become A Member Of The Greek Special Forces

There are several fractions of personnel in the Greek army. Those who wish to become part of special forces enlist at the Evelpidon Military Academy. The Greek Army consists of professional soldiers, volunteers and conscripts. Graduates of the academy are considered to be higher in seniority, followed by volunteers and conscript.

Greek Special Forces Training

No information is available regarding any special training for the Greek Special Forces with the exception of military training received at the academy. Those who enlist as volunteers or who are under mandate service receive basic military training under the superior officers who are academy graduates.

What Are They Best At?

They are best at defending the national territory of Greece, preventing dangers and threats to the security of the country, contributing to international security as well as peace keeping operations and handling domestic emergency situations.

Weapons Of The Greek Special Forces

The weapons and equipment used in the Greek Special Forces is from Germany, France, The United States, Russia and Great Britain with the exception of the Leonidas fighting vehicles that are built in Greece. While they have and use state of the art equipment and weaponry, they also use obsolete equipment dating back from the Cold War.

Known Missions

Since fighting for their independence, they have been involved in many missions including the Greco-Turkish War, the First and Second Balkin War, World War II that included several battles against the Italians and Germans as well as the North Africa campaign, the Greek Civil War after WWII and the Korean War. They are currently engaged in the war in Afghanistan as well as the War on Terrorism, both of which began in 2001.

Units

The units are called corps. They consist of the First Army, The Second Army Corps, the Supreme Military Command Of The Interior And Islands and the Supreme Military Support Command. They follow NATO standards.

Are They Professional Soldiers?

Those who are involved in the special forces operations in Greece are professional soldiers who have graduated from the military academy. There are also volunteers and conscript soldiers in Greece, where military training and service is required for all men.