The new year will bring massive promotions in the Armed Forces, as the 2022 state budget voted by the Parliament last Friday includes new positions in the upper echelons of the army. At the same time, campaigns are being launched in the near future. A development that will bring decongestion to the top of the army pyramid, thus paving the way for promotion to low-ranking officers, from lieutenants to lieutenant colonels, who remain stuck in the same rank for a very long time. At the same time, the parliamentary Defense Committee holds an extraordinary meeting in early January with the aim of examining and pushing for the adoption of new regulations, which bring about several changes in the promotions of officers (and not only) before the crisis. It is noted that similar amendments concerning non-commissioned officers are before the Legal Service for legal inspection.
The promotions
In the state budget of 2022, the posts of brigadier general increased by three, the post of colonel by six, the post of lieutenant colonel by 14 and the post of major by nine. At the same time, the budget for the demobilizations is clearly increased. In this way, as the Association of Officers (SACS) states, “a significant number of positions will be vacated for the promotion of several officers who for many years remain stuck in the same ranks and in the same duties”. Noting the following: “The efforts of the SACS to alleviate the stagnation of the officers, which had the effect of affecting their morale, have been successful and we have largely succeeded in restoring the injustice of ten years of stagnation. We believe that these actions demonstrate the determination and the will of the Minister of Defense for the in-depth reorganization of the Armed Forces, which is based on raising the morale and motivation of the officers, proceeding to remove the stagnation observed for years in promotions and not their development “.
714 promotions in 2021
According to the official data obtained by the Ministry of Defense, in the year 2021 a total of 714 executives of the Hellenic Armed Forces will be promoted. To date, there have been 193 promotions of officers, 186 promotions of non-commissioned officers and 314 promotions of contract non-commissioned officers. By the end of the year, there will be another 21 promotions of non-commissioned officers.
What is changing
On 10/1 and 13/1/2022, the deputies of the Defense Committee will hold an extraordinary meeting in the presence of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the Armed Forces, in order to consider the new amending regulations that will govern, among other things, promotions and withdrawals. The aim is for them to be voted on as soon as possible and certainly before the crises of 2022. In particular, the basic provisions of these amending regulations are the following:
The highest rank of officers of the Navy and Air Force Corps, Doctors and the Joint Corps of the Military, Economic and Judicial is determined by the rank of colonel instead of brigadier general.
The length of stay required to qualify as a lieutenant in the rank of lieutenant is reduced from four to three years.
At each rank the officer must perform at least half of the time provided for, regardless of the time of administration he is entitled to carry.
All officers with health problems will be called “office officers” and will have the highest rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
It is no longer necessary to complete management time by Navy and Air Force engineers in the rank of master / squadron in order to be considered for promotion.
The required years of residence are differentiated in each rank for the officers of the Joint Corps, since they retire at an older age, ie at the completion of the 63rd year of their age.
The Deputy Chief Justice will act as rapporteur in the Supreme Crisis Council without the right to vote.
Graduate officers of Higher Education Military Institutions will be senior to other officers of different backgrounds, whenever they were appointed in the same year and not just in case of simultaneous appointment.
