Dendias: Target 150,000 volunteers in 5 years

With the full implementation of the « Agenda 2030 », it is aimed at five years from now to have a force of 150,000 active volunteers who have a different type of training and a different type of readiness and to be able to directly meet the active army and meet immediate operational needs.

THE Minister of National Defense Today, Saturday, April 26, at the seminar on « Reorganization of the Reserve Institution », organized by the Army General Staff (GSF) in the Amphitheater of the Amphitheater of the Military School of Evelpidon (BSE) in the context of Agenda 2030.

Dendias: Target 150,000 volunteers in 5 years

The Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias, described the workshop « one step in the completion of » Agenda 2030 « because the reform and modernization of the institution of reserve » is an important part of this agenda « .

« We are creating the new reserve, a new complementary institution. This new complementary institution is placed between the army and the general conscription. We are talking about an active volunteer reserve. We introduce the institution of the active volunteer. He is called upon to voluntarily declare their participation by the gunmen and the probationary officers when completing their military service. We will also go back and ask those who have retired for the last 10 years in principle, if they want and how they want to join, ”Mr Dendias stressed.

« The modern reserve for us, » Mr Dendias added, « is besides a value necessarily necessity and a strategic necessity. The opponents, the threats – the threat if you want – that our country is called upon to face are numerically much superior. Consequently, the active army must be reinforced. « 

He made it clear that he believes « in reserve meritocratic » because « it is a value link between the citizen, the homeland and the state ».

« From the time of the Athenian Republic until 1940, armed citizens have been the foundation of freedom over time. The contribution of the reserves to the history of the nation cannot be valued. It has been recorded in the battlefields for 2,500 years and it is sufficient to investigate the records of the dead in our country to find the number of reserves sacrificed for the future of the country, « he added.

« The armed citizen is the front of the country’s freedom, » he said, adding that « we have a skeleton of professional executives for whom we are deeply proud. But they are supplemented by the Greek citizen, who is ready to take up arms when needed to defend his homeland, his family, society. So we need a qualitative upgrade reserve. And the incorporation of the citizens’ army into our national defense planning. Because this requires our safety, this is what our national survival requires. « 

The « Agenda 2030 », as it is designed, said, « fully incorporates the institution of the new reserve as well as the institution I must tell you of the new term, because there will also be drastic reforms. »

« We need a dynamic model in both cases where training is axis. Business and realistic education, not paper training. Existing modern weapons systems, as well as those that will be acquired through the first 20 -year design, must have trained operators, ”added Nikos Dendias.

« Greece does not have the luxury of not exploiting citizens who wish to contribute to national defense, » he said.

« We are also making changes to the briefing of the reserves, » he said, and continued: « We have already interconnected the application of ‘Backup’ with Gov.gr, for the immediate and electronic mission of the recruitment documents. We are also looking for and is very important for dialogue with you, benefits and incentives for active reserve, compensatory, financial, within our small potential. « 

« I think the international environment teaches us that the illusion of the early 20th century about constant peace is not what happened. Unfortunately, but it didn’t happen. On the contrary, we have returned to the era of turmoil and wars, « he said, adding: » I would like to make it clear that we do not consider the presence of so many reserves, representatives of all reserve organizations from the country as a symbolic presence. Please make your effective participation after the presentations that will be made by the Army General Staff, as well as our allies, who will bring us in touch with other standards. I have visited several countries in recent months to have a picture of how other countries are facing the institution of reserve. « 

He also made it clear that « there is no reform if we stay in his perceptions yesterday » and referred to « huge » as he said the dispersal of camps and units in the country.

He stressed that he shared « local reactions », but he estimated that « the national interest is much wider and we do not have the luxury of continuing as we are. »

« The reserve in our view is the shield of the state. We are small, but we are not insignificant. We are very important. And unlike the tendency of too many countries for a narrow professional army, we have historically chosen and select as a society, not as a government, a different approach. One, we think, more substantial treatment for democracy. And we deeply believe that the Greek citizen is proud of this choice of his country, « he concluded.

The event was also attended by the MP and Chairman of the Committee of Equipment Programs and Contracts of the House Angelos Syrigos, MPs Irene (Nina) Kasimatis and Stylianos Fotopoulos, the Chief of the General Staff, General Dimitrios Houkis Lagaras as a spokesman for the Chief of General Staff Dimitrios – Eleftherios Curse, the Director of the Second Branch of the GEA, Lieutenant General (I) Marios Bandouvas as a spokesman for the Chief of the General Staff (I) Forces.

Also present was the Metropolitan of Peristeri and a reserve officer of the Artillery Gregory, representatives of the Supreme Pan -Hellenic Federation of Officers, the Pancyprian Federation of Officers and 39 Associations of Officers.

Greetings were also addressed by the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General G. Kostidis, the Chairman of the House of Equipment Programs and Contracts Angelos Syrigos, the Metropolitan of Peristeri and the Authority Officer of the Artillery Gregory, the President Cyprus Officers Manoulos.

A presentation of the planned changes and the best practices from other countries, as well as a discussion between the participants, co -ordinated by journalist and reserve officer Costas Sarikas, followed.