After 4 years in the position of the Chief of the General Staff, General Konstantinos Floros retires and receives the title of honorary Chief of the General Staff. The former Chiefs of the Land Army Major General Angelos Houdeloudis, Navy Vice Admiral Ioannis Drimousis and Air Force Vice Admiral Themistocles Bourolias receive a similar title for their arms.
The meeting of the Government Council on Foreign Affairs and Defence lasted just under an hour as the decisions had already been taken.
Mitsotakis: His contribution has been invaluable
The Prime Minister commented. But also with years of significant defence and diplomatic upgrading of the country.
His contribution has been invaluable. Both in the face of conventional and hybrid challenges, and in the design and implementation of the government's programme for the quantitative and qualitative enhancement of the Armed Forces.
The General has overseen the implementation of our plan to armour the National Defence after years of inaction. He has promoted interdisciplinary cooperation. The enhanced role of the Special Forces. And cooperation with our allies.
He pioneered our strategic alliance with the United States, France, Egypt, Israel, the UAE and other countries. While working methodically for Greece's military upgrade within NATO and Europe
Finally, it gave a new dimension to the tradition of the Armed Forces' decisive contribution to the response to natural disasters and emergencies. As a true Leader, he always served his duty to his country first.
General, we thank you for such a productive service, which helped make Greece even stronger and prouder. These years are one more decoration among the many that accompany your chest next to the national emblem you have honored."
By unanimous decision of the Government Council on Foreign Affairs and Defence, the following are appointed
Lieutenant General Dimitris Houpis as Chief of Defence Staff
Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis as Chief of the Army Staff
Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Vice Admiral Dimitris Eleftherios Kataras and
Chief of the Air Force General Staff, Vice Admiral Demosthenes Grigoriadis
In Turkey, the state broadcaster, while broadcasting the news about the new leadership of the Greek Armed Forces, focused on the fact that the new Chief of the General Staff, Major General Dimitris Houpis, was the commander of the Supreme Military Command of the Interior and Islands, but apparently confusing his last command with the Special Warfare Command, they mentioned 2022 as the year of establishment of the Supreme Military Command of the Interior and Islands. In any case, we inform our neighbours that the Supreme Military Command of the Interior and Islands as a major command was established on 10 January 1945 in Athens as the Supreme Military Command of Attica. From 1961 it evolved from a territorial defence force to an army corps-sized formation, overseeing the four National Guard Commands of the Aegean region. On 26 October 1961 it was renamed the Supreme Military Command of the Interior and Islands to reflect its expanded role.
If again with what has happened they wanted to refer to the establishment of the Special Warfare Command , this took place on 27 April 2021
What TRT reported
TRT reported: "Special Warfare Command Chief Dimitris Houpis has been appointed to replace Chief of the General Staff Konstantinos Floros, whose four-year term of office has expired.
According to the Greek Defense Ministry's announcement, the Governmental Council for National Security (KISEA) met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with the agenda to determine the new names to replace the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Chief of the Army General Staff, the Chief of the Navy General Staff and the Chief of the Air Force General Staff, whose terms of office have expired.
By decision of the Board, Dimitris Houpis was appointed Chief of the General Staff, George Kostidis Chief of the Army Staff, Dimitrios Evangelos Kataras Chief of the Navy General Staff and Demosthenes Grigoriadis Chief of the Air Force General Staff.
Speaking after the decision, Mitsotakis said that Floros' tenure as Chief of the General Staff coincided with a difficult geopolitical period from both a national and international perspective and that he served the country in times of natural disasters and special needs.
Born in 1965, Houpis served as Commander of the Supreme Military Command of the Interior and Islands, which was established to protect the Aegean islands in 2022."
Dendias: New era with new leadership in the armed forces for radical changes
Speaking about the mission of the new leadership, Minister Nikos Dendias said:
"The selection of the new leadership of the Armed Forces marks the Government's new approach to National Security.
The National Strategy for the Armed Forces 2030.
A Modern Defence Doctrine.
The new leadership is called upon to serve this change.
The goal of the change that begins today is the multifaceted modernization of the Armed Forces, adapting to modern data and needs.
A national effort to effectively arm our homeland against any form of threat, conventional or hybrid.
The change involves 3 key pillars:
The first pillar is the complete reorganization of the structure and operation of the Armed Forces.
The aim is an organizationally modern, flexible and operationally effective structure, which will meet the modern requirements and the real capabilities of our country.
From the redeployment of formations/units and the creation of Dual Role/Use Units for Defence and Civil Protection, to the streamlining of decision-making procedures.
The second pillar concerns the weapon systems of the Armed Forces.
By updating the armament programme, taking into account lessons learned from Ukraine, the Caucasus and the Middle East, technological developments and budgetary possibilities.
It requires a commitment to technologically advanced solutions that are effective and have a better cost-benefit ratio. At the same time, new instruments need to be developed from domestic production. The country has the appropriate human capital. It must make use of it.
With the Hellenic Centre for Defence Research and Innovation Development being established, an innovation ecosystem is being created. It will finance the production of the equipment that the Armed Forces have specified, while strengthening the Greek defence industry and the country's economy.
It goes without saying that modern Armed Forces require an effective mechanism for the maintenance of the existing equipment in use.
With a new model of operation of the Defence Industry. Starting with the changes in the NAB in the near future and then in the NACs. With the creation of a healthy basis for cooperation with the Greek shipbuilding industry.
The third pillar is the human resources of the Armed Forces:
With the upcoming upgrade of the training of officers, with the redesign of the career path and career of officers, with the expansion of the important role of the Petty Officers Corps. .
An obvious prerequisite in the third pillar is the improvement of the living conditions of members of the Armed Forces.
Priority is given to meeting the housing needs of our servicemen and women, for which the first phase of an ambitious housing programme will soon be launched, and to improving health care.
Changes in the way we utilize human resources include a review in the tenure of enlisted personnel. The transition from "Service-Month" to "Service-Retirement" and "Service-Opportunity".
An upgrade of training based on the Finnish model with appropriate adaptations and provision for periodic retraining on a voluntary basis, and the possibility for those who choose to do so to acquire skills.
These are the national priorities that the new leadership is called upon to implement.
A new doctrine that represents a page-turner and leads to the Armed Forces of 2030. A change absolutely imperative, not to say overdue. Beyond the hitherto horizon.
A change that will increase our capabilities to deter any threat, and enhance our role in the wider region.
On behalf of the Government, I would like to thank the outgoing Chief of the General Staff, General Konstantinos Floros, for his contribution during his long career in the Armed Forces, as well as the Chiefs of Staff of the Air Force, Vice Admiral Themistocles Bourolias, the Army, Lieutenant General Angelos Hudeloudis and the Navy, Vice Admiral Ioannis Drimousis.
With the conviction that the new leadership will fulfill its duty, I wish the new Chief of General Staff General Demetrios Houpis, and the new Chiefs of General Staff of the Army Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis, Navy Vice Admiral Demetrios-Etheltherios Kataras, Air Vice Admiral Demosthenes Grigoriadis, every success in their work".
Government sources
Government sources praised the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, saying: The crisis in Evros with Turkey's instrumentalization of the migration issue was the first of the major or minor crises successfully managed by General Konstantinos Floros in his four years as Chief of the General Staff of the National Defence Staff.
The Armed Forces, under his leadership, were strengthened and the strategic infrastructure was upgraded, highlighting the strategic importance of Greece in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean.
The army was also present in operations to deal with natural disasters, such as the major floods Daniel and Janos or the mega-fires that broke out in the country as a consequence of climate change, but also emergencies of all kinds, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, when mega-vaccination centres were created and staffed with the assistance of the Armed Forces.
Konstantinos Floros, trained in the duties of a submarine destroyer and having passed through a series of critical positions in the Directorates of Special Forces and Special Operations, was appointed Chief of the General Staff by the Mitsotakis government in January 2020, with his term of office, which coincided with a period of geopolitical volatility and crises, but also with a significant diplomatic and defence upgrade of the country, being extended for another year on 16 January 2023.
In the four years that he remained at the helm of the General Staff of the National Defence Staff, General Floros contributed significantly, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed in a statement, both in the successful management of conventional and hybrid crises, as well as the planning and implementation of the government's programme for the quantitative and qualitative upgrade of the Armed Forces.
Following the more than a decade-long economic crisis that left its mark on the Armed Forces, Konstantinos Floros also oversaw the implementation of a major programme of essential equipment.
At the same time, it promoted interdisciplinary cooperation between the Army, the Air Force and the Navy, the role of the Special Forces, as well as closer cooperation with strategic partners such as the USA, France, Egypt, Israel, the UAE and other allied countries, which came for co-training with the Greek Armed Forces. His contribution was also significant in the upgrading of the Greek military role in Europe and NATO.
In the Government Council on Foreign Affairs and Defence, the Government selected a new leadership team with significant operational and organisational experience to continue and complete this difficult task.
The new leadership of the Armed Forces, as noted by the Government, is required to continue the process of transformation, with key features being the optimal utilisation of human resources, the integration and effective exploitation of new technologies and the smooth integration of new weapon systems, such as the Belharra frigates, the Rafale, F-16 Viper and F-35 fighter aircraft, the Spike-NLOS missile systems and several others currently in the procurement phase.
Emphasis will also be placed on increasing the availability of various types of weapon systems, as well as on making a greater contribution to the response to natural disasters and emergencies and, more generally, to increasing the Armed Forces' contribution to society.
Τέλος, σύμφωνα με τα ίδια κυβερνητικά στελέχη, θα συνεχιστεί η προσπάθεια συστηματικής και αρμονικής συνεργασίας όλων των εμπλεκομένων φορέων και συντελεστών στο πλαίσιο της κυβερνητικής πολιτικής συνολικής αντιμετώπισης των προκλήσεων εθνικής ασφαλείας, που απέδωσε καρπούς τα τελευταία χρόνια».
SYRIZA: The opposition stands by the personnel, men and women of the Armed Forces
From the opposition, only SYRIZA issued a statement saying: "At today's meeting of the Government Council on Foreign Affairs and Defence, the new leadership of the Armed Forces was selected. We congratulate the new Chiefs of the Joint Chiefs of Defence, General Air force Staff, General Navy Staff and General Army Staff and wish them success in their work. SYRIZA Progressive Alliance has always supported and continues to support the members of the Armed Forces and takes it for granted that the selection is based on meritocratic criteria.
The parliamentary opposition stands actively by the personnel, men and women of the Armed Forces and will be a supporter of every effort to strengthen the combat strength and improve the living conditions of the personnel."
