×
Greece

Greece Military Stats

Luke.Metcalfe

Author: Luke.Metcalfe

Greece has pretty broad borders. The recent Greek history consists of a series of wars for freedom and national independence. Greeks faced multiple conflicts with the Ottomans during the last two centuries, and logically Turkey and Greece are fierce rivals. During the Second Balkan War, Greece faced Bulgaria. Finally, during the two World Wars, Greece faced multiple nations, including Albania, Italy, Germany and the newly established nation of Turkey. Obviously, Greece opposed all neighboring countries pretty recently. The wounds of the past are recent, and this keeps the Greek army on alert.

National defense is important to Greece and statistical facts prove the same. Greece has one of the most equipped armies in Europe, owning the most aircrafts per 1 million citizens (45.65 aircrafts per million people) and a respectable number of war tanks (154.55 tanks per million people), artillery units (171.2 artillery units per million people) and conventional weapons. According to 1990 stats, Greece imports conventional weapons that cost 1.43 billion, or 1.54% of GDP). Military equipment requires money, so Greek state spends lot of money. For example, 4.48% of Greek GDP was used for military expenditures in 2005.

Even with a well-equipped military, war conflicts still need manpower. For this reason, Greece is prepared. Men between 19-45 years are obliged to serve in the Greek army for a year. Almost 5 men out of 1,000 citizens recruit the new recruitment unit. Women can also serve in the Greek army if they wish. Greece has in total 15.13 soldiers per 1,000 people.

The three branches of Greek army are: Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA). Greece is also part of the NATO alliance. For this reason, Greece has offered military help multiple times during regional conflicts. For example, the Greek Army was present in Iraq and Serbia war conflicts.

Definitions

  • Air force > Combat aircraft: Number of fighter aircrafts (fixed wing aircrafts with combat capability).
  • Air force > Combat aircraft per million people: Number of fighter aircrafts (fixed wing aircrafts with combat capability). Figures expressed per million people for the same year.
  • Armed forces personnel: Total armed forces (2000)
  • Army > Attack helicopters: Number of attack helicopter (includes helicopters that have some attacking capabilities).
  • Army > Main battle tanks: Number of main battle tanks.
  • Budget: Annual defense budget in billion USD.
  • Global Peace Index: The Global Peace Index is comprised of 22 indicators in the three categories ongoing domestic or international conflicts; societal safety; and security and militarization. A low index value indicates a peaceful and safe country.
  • Military expenditures: This entry gives spending on defense programs for the most recent year available as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP); the GDP is calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). For countries with no military forces, this figure can include expenditures on public security and police.
  • Military service age and obligation: This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of service obligation.
  • Navy > Aircraft carriers: Number of aircraft carriers.
  • Navy > Submarines: Number of patrol boats (includes minesweepers).
  • Paramilitary personnel: Paramilitary.

    No date was available from the Wikipedia article, so we used the date of retrieval.

  • Personnel > Per capita: Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces. Per capita figures expressed per 1,000 population.
  • Service age and obligation: This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of sevice obligation.
  • War deaths: Battle-related deaths are deaths in battle-related conflicts between warring parties in the conflict dyad (two conflict units that are parties to a conflict). Typically, battle-related deaths occur in warfare involving the armed forces of the warring parties. This includes traditional battlefield fighting, guerrilla activities, and all kinds of bombardments of military units, cities, and villages, etc. The targets are usually the military itself and its installations or state institutions and state representatives, but there is often substantial collateral damage in the form of civilians being killed in crossfire, in indiscriminate bombings, etc. All deaths--military as well as civilian--incurred in such situations, are counted as battle-related deaths."
STAT AMOUNT DATE RANK HISTORY
Air force > Combat aircraft 308 1999 1st out of 11
Air force > Combat aircraft per million people 28.3 1999 1st out of 11
Armed forces personnel 159,000 2000 31st out of 166
Army > Attack helicopters 29 2013 4th out of 11
Army > Main battle tanks 1,244 2013 1st out of 21
Budget 10.39 US$ BN 1999 2nd out of 11
Global Peace Index 1.96 2013 5th out of 33
Military expenditures 4.3% of GDP 2005 5th out of 40
Military service age and obligation 19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 18 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation is 1 year for all services; women are eligible for voluntary military service 2012
Navy > Aircraft carriers 0.0 1999 4th out of 11
Navy > Submarines 11 1999 1st out of 8
Paramilitary personnel 4,000 2012 1st out of 1
Personnel > Per capita 15.13 per 1,000 people 2005 15th out of 160
Service age and obligation 19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 1 year for all services; women are eligible for voluntary military service 2008
War deaths 0.0 2008 124th out of 195

SOURCES: Wikipedia: List of countries by level of military equipment (List); Wikipedia: List of countries by level of military equipment (List). Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies). 2001. The Military Balance 2001-2002. Oxford: Oxford University Press; http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/indexes/global-peace-index, Global Rankings. Vision of Humanity.; CIA World Factbooks 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013; Wikipedia: List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel (The list); World Development Indicators database; All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008; Uppsala Conflict Data Program, http://www.pcr.uu.se/research/ucdp/.

Citation

6

Greece has pretty broad borders. The recent Greek history consists of a series of wars for freedom and national independence. Greeks faced multiple conflicts with the Ottomans during the last two centuries, and logically Turkey and Greece are fierce rivals. During the Second Balkan War, Greece faced Bulgaria. Finally, during the two World Wars, Greece faced multiple nations, including Albania, Italy, Germany and the newly established nation of Turkey. Obviously, Greece opposed all neighboring countries pretty recently. The wounds of the past are recent, and this keeps the Greek army on alert.

National defense is important to Greece and statistical facts prove the same. Greece has one of the most equipped armies in Europe, owning the most aircrafts per 1 million citizens (45.65 aircrafts per million people) and a respectable number of war tanks (154.55 tanks per million people), artillery units (171.2 artillery units per million people) and conventional weapons. According to 1990 stats, Greece imports conventional weapons that cost 1.43 billion, or 1.54% of GDP). Military equipment requires money, so Greek state spends lot of money. For example, 4.48% of Greek GDP was used for military expenditures in 2005.

Even with a well-equipped military, war conflicts still need manpower. For this reason, Greece is prepared. Men between 19-45 years are obliged to serve in the Greek army for a year. Almost 5 men out of 1,000 citizens recruit the new recruitment unit. Women can also serve in the Greek army if they wish. Greece has in total 15.13 soldiers per 1,000 people.

The three branches of Greek army are: Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA). Greece is also part of the NATO alliance. For this reason, Greece has offered military help multiple times during regional conflicts. For example, the Greek Army was present in Iraq and Serbia war conflicts.

Posted on 09 Apr 2014

Luke.Metcalfe

Luke.Metcalfe

137 Stat enthusiast

Adblocker detected! Please consider reading this notice.

We've detected that you are using AdBlock Plus or some other adblocking software which is preventing the page from fully loading.

We don't have any banner, Flash, animation, obnoxious sound, or popup ad. We do not implement these annoying types of ads!

We need money to operate the site, and almost all of it comes from our online advertising.

Please add www.nationmaster.com to your ad blocking whitelist or disable your adblocking software.

×