# Hellenic National Defence General Staff

The Hellenic National Defence General Staff (Greek: Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας, abbr. ΓΕΕΘΑ) is the senior staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces. It was established in 1950, when the separate armed services ministries were consolidated into the Ministry of National Defence. Its role in peacetime was as a coordinating and senior consultative body at the disposal of the Greek government, and in wartime as the overall headquarters of the Armed Forces. In recent years, through ongoing efforts at increased inter-services cooperation and integration, the HNDGS has assumed peacetime operational control over the separate branches. Between 19 December 1968 and 10 August 1977, the HNDGS was abolished, and the Armed Forces Headquarters (Greek: Αρχηγείο Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων, abbr. Greek: ΑΕΔ) established in its place.

## The Chief of the HNDGS

The Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (Αρχηγός ΓΕΕΘΑ, Α/ΓΕΕΘΑ) conducts the HNDGS and is the main adviser to the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA) and to the Minister of Defence on military issues. Through the Chiefs of General Staffs, he carries out the operational commanding of the Joint Headquarters and the units that come under them, as well as the rest forces, when it comes to the issues of operation plans implementation and the Crises management System implementation, conduction of operations outside the national territory and participation of the Armed Forces in the confrontation of special situations during peace time.
He constructs the National Military Strategy after taking into consideration the suggestions of the General Staffs of the Armed Forces Services and according to the directions of the Ministry of Defence he manages and proposes the priority of the armament programs and suggests the general policy directions and priorities on every operational objective.
Traditionally, since c. 1970, the Chief of the HNDGS holds the rank of full general, admiral or air chief marshal, and is the only serving four-star officer of the Hellenic Armed Forces (as opposed to retired, since three-star ranks are often promoted one rank on retirement).
Since 17 January 2020, the incumbent Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, is General Konstantinos Floros.
* Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Army variant)
* Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Navy variant)
* Rank flag of the Chief of the HNDGS (Air Force variant)

### List of chiefs of the HNDGS

| No. | Chief of the HNDGS | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref. |
| 1 | Papagos, AlexandrosField Marshal Alexandros Papagos (1883–1955) | 1950 | 1951 | 0–1 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 2 | Grigoropoulos, TheodotosLieutenant general Theodotos Grigoropoulos | 1951 | 1952 | 0–1 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 3 | Kitrilakis, StylianosLieutenant general Stylianos Kitrilakis [el] (1896–1964) | 1952 | 1954 | 1–2 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 4 | Dovas, KonstantinosLieutenant general Konstantinos Dovas (1898–1973) | 1954 | 1959 | 4–5 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 5 | Frontistis, AthanasiosLieutenant general Athanasios Frontistis (1900–1979) | 1959 | 1962 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 6 | Pipilis, IoannisLieutenant general Ioannis Pipilis [el] (1903–1992) | 1962 | 1965 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 7 | Tsolakas, KonstantinosLieutenant general Konstantinos Tsolakas | 1965 | 1967 | 1–2 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 8 | Avgeris, SpyridonVice admiral Spyridon Avgeris (1909–1972) | 30 March 1967 | 14 December 1967 | 259 days | Hellenic Navy | – |
| 9 | Angelis, OdysseasGeneral Odysseas Angelis (1912–1987) | 1967 | 16 August 1973 | 5–6 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 10 | Zagorianakos, DimitriosGeneral Dimitrios Zagorianakos [el] (1918–1977) | 16 August 1973 | 25 November 1973 | 101 days | Hellenic Army | – |
| 11 | Bonanos, GrigoriosGeneral Grigorios Bonanos | 25 November 1973 | 1974 | 0–1 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 12 | Arbouzis, DionysiosGeneral Dionysios Arbouzis (1913–1987) | 1974 | 1976 | 1–2 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 13 | Davos, IoannisGeneral Ioannis Davos (1918–2008) | 14 September 1976 | 10 January 1980 | 3 years, 118 days | Hellenic Army | – |
| 14 | Gratzios, AgamemnonGeneral Agamemnon Gratzios (1922–1993) | 11 January 1980 | 19 January 1982 | 2 years, 8 days | Hellenic Army | – |
| 15 | Degiannis, TheodorosAdmiral Theodoros Degiannis (1926–2006) | 1982 | 1984 | 1–2 years | Hellenic Navy | – |
| 16 | Kouris, NikolaosAir Chief Marshal Nikolaos Kouris [el] (1930–2018) | 1984 | 1989 | 4–5 years | Hellenic Air Force | – |
| 17 | Vellidis, StamatisGeneral Stamatis Vellidis (1928–2021) | 1989 | 1990 | 0–1 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 18 | Veryvakis, IoannisGeneral Ioannis Veryvakis (1930–2019) | 1990 | 16 October 1993 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 19 | Skarvelis, DimitriosGeneral Dimitrios Skarvelis [el] (born 1933) | 16 October 1993 | 16 December 1993 | 61 days | Hellenic Army | – |
| 20 | Lymberis, ChristosAdmiral Christos Lymberis [el] (born 1935) | 16 December 1993 | 1996 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Navy | – |
| 21 | Tzoganis, AthanasiosAir Chief Marshal Athanasios Tzoganis (born 1939) | 1996 | 1999 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Air Force | – |
| 22 | Paragioudakis, ManousosGeneral Manousos Paragioudakis [el] (born 1938) | 1999 | 2002 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 23 | Antonakopoulos, GeorgiosGeneral Georgios Antonakopoulos [el] (born 1943) | 2002 | 16 February 2005 | 2–3 years | Hellenic Army | – |
| 24 | Chinofotis, PanagiotisAdmiral Panagiotis Chinofotis (born 1949) | 16 February 2005 | 21 August 2007 | 2 years, 186 days | Hellenic Navy | – |
| 25 | Grapsas, DimitriosGeneral Dimitrios Grapsas (born 1948) | 21 August 2007 | 6 August 2009 | 1 year, 350 days | Hellenic Army | – |
| 26 | Giangos, IoannisAir Chief Marshal Ioannis Giangos (born 1951) | 6 August 2009 | 1 November 2011 | 2 years, 87 days | Hellenic Air Force | – |
| 27 | Kostarakos, MichailGeneral Michail Kostarakos (1956–2023) | 1 November 2011 | 15 December 2015 | 4 years, 44 days | Hellenic Army | – |
| 28 | Apostolakis, EvangelosAdmiral Evangelos Apostolakis (born 1957) | 15 December 2015 | 14 January 2019 | 3 years, 30 days | Hellenic Navy | – |
| – | Floros, KonstantinosLieutenant General Konstantinos Floros (born 1961) Acting | 14 January 2019 | 25 January 2019 | 11 days | Hellenic Army | – |
| 29 | Christodoulou, ChristosAir Chief Marshal Christos Christodoulou [el] (born 1958) | 25 January 2019 | 17 January 2020 | 357 days | Hellenic Air Force | – |
| 30 | Floros, KonstantinosGeneral Konstantinos Floros (born 1961) | 17 January 2020 | 12 January 2024 | 3 years, 360 days | Hellenic Army | – |
| 31 | Choupis, DimitriosGeneral Dimitrios Choupis (born 1965) | 12 January 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 43 days | Hellenic Army | |