A bold reform program is being proposed by the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias, aiming to detach the Armed Forces from the structure, perceptions, and operation of the 1980s and to modernize and make them effective in the new threat environment being shaped.

A plan that began with the bill for the establishment of the Hellenic Center for Innovation and will be completed with changes in the structure of the Armed Forces and the new type of conscription.

According to reliable information, the new conscription, which is planned based on the new organizational changes in the Armed Forces and their new structure, will draw heavily from the Finnish model, adapted to Greek needs and Greek reality.

The new type of conscription will also provide for the voluntary enlistment of women, thus introducing a significant innovation.

It will include continuous voluntary retraining and integration into reserves, while the conscription period will remain at 12 months, possibly with a slight reduction if deemed feasible.

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The new conscription will likely be the final stage of the reform and modernization of the Armed Forces, which is not limited to equipment programs alone.

The reasons that compel Nikos Dendias to promote this reform plan are none other than the “rusty” and “bureaucratic” structure and composition of the Armed Forces, at a time when security threats have become complex, as evidenced by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the crisis in the Red Sea.