Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias has signed ministerial decisions establishing three new Special Operations units in Attica, Central Macedonia, and northern Evros, as part of the country’s new force structure under the “Agenda 2030” defense reform.

According to the Ministry of National Defence, two of the three newly created units will be staffed entirely by reservists.

The ministry said the initiative addresses a long-standing weakness in the military’s reserve system. Although Special Forces reservists receive some of the military’s most demanding combat training, the vast majority have until now been issued a “white discharge”—meaning they remained unassigned after completing their service and awaited any future mobilization.

According to the ministry, this system benefited neither the reservists nor national defense, as the reserve force is considered a key pillar of Greece’s operational readiness.

The reform aims to ensure that every Special Forces reservist is called up on a priority basis and knows in advance which unit they belong to, its mission, and the specific duties they will perform.

The announcement also notes that, as part of the Ministry of National Defence’s broader overhaul of the reserve system, Reserve Retraining Centers have already been established in Avlona, Attica, and Litochoro, Pieria.

Defense Minister Nikos Dendias previously described the role of reservists by stating:

“The reservist is the link between the Armed Forces and Greek society. He embodies the timeless ideal of the citizen army, which for more than 2,500 years has been the Greek approach to defending our homeland.”