Greece

the Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF) are responsible for protecting Greece’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; the HAF also maintains a presence on Cyprus (the Hellenic Force in Cyprus or ELDYK) to assist and support the Cypriot National Guard; as a member of the EU, NATO, and other international organizations, the HAF participates in multinational peacekeeping and other security missions abroad, taking a particular interest in missions occurring in the near regions, such as the Balkans, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, the Middle East, and North Africa; areas of focus for the HAF include instability in the Balkans, territorial disputes with Turkey, and support to European security through the EU and NATO Greece’s NATO membership is a key component of its security; it became a NATO member in 1952 and occupies a strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean on NATO’s southern flank; Greece is host to several NATO facilities, including the Deployable Corps Greece (NDC-GR) headquarters in Thessaloniki, the Combined Air Operations Center in Larissa, the Multinational Peace Support Operations Training Center in Kilkis, the Multinational Sealift Coordination Center in Athens, and the Naval Base, Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre, and NATO Missile Firing Installation at Souda, Crete (2025)

approximately 1,000 Cyprus; 120 Kosovo (NATO); 130 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2025)

note: Greece also has air and naval units deployed in support of NATO missions

Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF; Ellinikes Enoples Dynamis, EED): Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES; includes National Guard), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA; includes air defense) (2025)

note 1: the police (under the Ministry of Citizen Protection) and the armed forces (Ministry of National Defense) share law enforcement duties in certain border areas; the Greek Coast Guard is under the Ministry of Shipping Affairs and Island Policy

note 2: the National Guard was established in 1982 as an official part of the Army to help protect Greece and provide reinforcements and support to the Army in peacetime and in times of mobilization and war

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; all Greek men 19-45 are subject to compulsory military service; 12-month obligation for all services (note - as an exception, the duration of the full military service is 9 instead of 12 months if conscripts, after the initial training, serve the entire remaining time in certain areas of the eastern borders, in Cyprus, or in certain military units) (2026)

note 1: in July 2025, the Greek Government unveiled several defense reforms which went into effect on 1 January 2026, including abolishing mandatory military service for the Air Force and Navy, with exceptions only for specialized roles such as aircraft engineers and ship captains; all conscripts are to be classified exclusively into the Army; ground forces will also take over facility security duties previously managed by the other branches

note 2: as of 2025, women comprised about 17% of the military's full-time personnel

the military's inventory consists of a mix of domestically produced and imported armaments from Europe and the US; in recent years, France, Germany, the UK, and the US have been major suppliers of weapons systems; Greece's defense industry is capable of producing a range of military hardware, including naval vessels and associated subsystems (2025)

note: Greece is in the midst of a military modernization program which includes acquisitions of fighter aircraft and naval ships from France and armored vehicles and tanks from Germany; it has also boosted purchases of US equipment, including fighter aircraft upgrades, helicopters, and naval patrol craft

approximately 112,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)