As a strong signal from society and especially the new generation they interpreted to the Pentagon the coverage of all available positions in Military Schools after this year's Pan-Hellenic Examinations, first reversing the downward image after 1997.
Both the impressive introduction of high technology to the Greek Armed Forces and drones, the new term, and the incentives given to executives in recent years seem to have started operating, with staff now working on a new package of benefits for officers and students.
The provision of a voucher covering travel (i.e. costs) is reportedly being considered, especially for younger officers, while students of military schools are planned to be given tablets, computers and new modern technological equipment.
Close to them, a key point was the superiority of the Faculty of Permanent Petty Officers with Law 5265/2026, as the Schools of Permanent Petty Officers (SMIs) will provide higher education with four-year education, eight academic semesters and a total of 240 ECTS credit units, reflecting not only the change of name, but the upgrading of the educational and professional level of tomorrow's sub-prime officers.
Do it like Ukraine
The above option is considered rather than by chance, since the western staff (between them and the Greek Pentagon) have concluded that Ukraine's resilience is due to «doctrine of small leaders», i.e. the ability of Ukrainian officers to make decisions at lower levels instead of the Russian Army's pyramid system of organization.
In this context, it is necessary for the Pentagon to step up a new philosophy in the Greek Armed Forces, as a self-contained career is now envisaged, with a distinct role, self-score development, clear responsibilities and perspective up to the highest levels of their own hierarchy, with the possibility of transferring to the Corps of Officers, for those who wish to.
The emphasis on «small leaders», but also in the quality of military training it is now also reflected in the new equipment programme as a result of structural reform «Agenda 2030»As in the technological transformation of the Armed Forces. It has already been predicted that in the new weapons systems, modern communications, unmanned means, management and control systems and network capabilities all Greek Armed Forces officials will play a key role, since high training and specialisation will become a strategic objective.
New roles
In addition, the «Greek brains» in the Armed Forces they can emerge in one of the key elements of balancing countries with a strong defence industry and know-how in the construction of modern systems, still in a nearby perimeter from Athens. For this reason, Greek non-commissioners of the next decade will be largely in the operational and technical core of these systems, either:
- ■ As operators of modern unmanned media, such as V-BAT.
- ■ As Black Hawk helicopter operators, Chinook, Apache.
- ■ In operational and technical support for technologically advanced platforms, such as SPIKE N-LOS.
- ■ Parallel to air and missile artillery systems.
New threats
At the same time, both the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in Iran have further brought forward the need for another logic of staffing the new weapons systems, since the threat, then the operational need, then the necessary capabilities and means to ensure them, and finally, the necessary human resources are identified, which acquires all their operational advantages.
In this perspective, and the allocation of officers at graduation will follow the real needs of the new Power Structure and the new weapons systems, since now the increased needs in Transmissions, Army Air Force, unmanned systems, advanced communications and technical support will be the prime criteria for distribution and scientific specialties.
In particular, from now on officers will have an increased burden on management, design, decision making and administrative responsibility, while modern NCO graduates will be the high-level operational, scientific and technical body that transforms decisions and new possibilities into an operational result, into a purely cooperative logic.
Camps and ICU
However, the conversion of the image against the career in the Greek Armed Forces reflected in the results of this year's Panhellenic Examinations (with the sole exception of the case of the Navy's schools due to the demand for seagoing shipping) had also begun to emerge from the applications to the summer camps of staff, where there were more than 300 requests to participate in addition to what they secured in time a place in... summer living with the Armed Forces officials, reflecting the interest that exists in the new generation.
In this direction, a dynamic presence at this year's Thessaloniki International Fair, focusing particularly on high school and high school students, is expected to have this year the National Defence Ministry's booth, where the modern operational capabilities of the Armed Forces and a multitude of drones for young visitors will be presented in detail to the general public.
Photo by EUROKINISSI
