Conscription in Greece: Compulsory on paper, voluntary in reality but not for long.

The return of Conscription in Europe

Since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, and especially since the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, several countries, such as Sweden, Lithuania, and Latvia, have reintroduced conscription. At the same time, several other countries are planning or considering bringing back military service and investing in military training due to fears of a possible Russian attack on NATO, as well as uncertainty about the United States’ commitment to Europe’s safety, as Trump recently announced his plans to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory in Denmark, a NATO member. In some cases, conscription is compulsory, as in Croatia; in others, it is voluntary, as in France; and in Germany’s case, it is a combination of both.

This marks a near-complete reversal from the environment that prevailed across the EU until recently, when most European countries chose to abolish conscription altogether and reduce their defence budgets, believing that with the USSR gone, the West had definitively won the Cold War, thus there was no need to invest in defence, until now.

The return of military service is quite polarising, especially among Gen Z. For example, in Germany, about 3,000 people have taken to the streets of Berlin to protest against the reintroduction of conscription. For much of European Gen Z, the idea of defending their country and having their coffin draped with the national flag is not appealing at all.

Greece’s armed forces have lost much of their former prestige among Greek youth, despite the government’s efforts. The average young Greek is not impressed by the Belharra frigates, the Rafale fighter jets, the F-16s, the military cooperation with Israel, or the images from parades featuring young male soldiers in khaki uniforms. For much of Greek Gen Z, it all feels like smoke and mirrors, because they associate the Greek army with poor organisation, low wages, harsh working conditions, no work-life balance, limited career prospects, and a waste of public money.

In the past, being a soldier was among the most prestigious professions in the country and was relatively well paid compared to jobs in the private sector. This is no longer the case. Joining the Greek army is no longer considered attractive, nor is it seen as a good career path for many Greeks.

Greece’s armed forces are facing a recruitment crisis, as military academies struggle to fill places, and a significant number of cadets abandon their studies because they cannot adapt to the military environment. At the same time, more and more Greeks are avoiding conscription. Around 35,000 Greeks have received an “I-5” deferment in the last three years—a document that confirms they are officially unfit for military service for health reasons—while about 38,980 Greeks have indefinitely postponed their service due to living abroad. Unlike some other countries, Greece does not offer an alternative form of service; therefore, young Greek men have only two options: either serve or evade military service.

While many young Greeks do have genuine medical reasons preventing them from serving, others are allegedly bribing doctors to falsely certify mental or physical problems they do not actually have. This situation has angered the Minister of Defence, Nikos Dendias, who described it as a “factory of military service postponements” and promised to limit this phenomenon by granting the “I-5” deferment only to people with serious and proven health problems.

Beyond health and psychological issues, other reasons many Greek men avoid conscription include personal and religious beliefs, as well as the desire to focus on their studies, careers, and personal lives.

Some argue that the government has made Greece’s armed forces unattractive to young people; others claim that Greek Gen Z lacks patriotic sentiment. The reality is far more complex.

Greece’s armed forces already have 419,000 personnel, of which 142,ooo are soldiers and 221,000 reservists. Is that enough to be prepared for an attack by Turkey, but also Russia? Based on recent news, it appears not to be. With demographic collapse in full swing, it’s going to be a hard task, and robots are not gonna join the Greek Army anytime soon, because soldiers will be among the last jobs that will be replaced by AI.

The latest reforms & the reactions

The Greek government is attempting to salvage the situation with a new bill, which will be submitted in Parliament on 8 January, that introduces significant reforms to military service and Greece’s armed forces.

The reforms include:

• The service of Reserve Officer Cadets (ROC) will be reduced from 17 to 14 months.
• Officers will receive salary increases; for example, Army officers are expected to see raises of up to 15–20%. The current 85 different salary scales will be consolidated into just 20.
• All conscripted soldiers will now be assigned exclusively to the Army (Land Forces). At the same time, basic training will be extended from 3 weeks to 10 weeks.
• The closure of several military camps, with the aim of merging them into more centralised military units.
• The introduction of voluntary conscription for 200 women aged 18 to 26. Their military service will last 12 months and will take place in Lamia.
• The possibility for individuals to register for conscription earlier, before they reach the age of 18.
• Stricter rules on military service deferments: deferments for studies will be valid for the age limit for all students in higher education institutions is 27 years, for doctoral candidates, the deferral will be valid until they reach the age of 30, for high school graduates until the age of 21 and for vocational school students until the age of 22.  Under the current provisions, Deferments related to participation in elections (municipal, national, or European) will no longer be allowed. The minimum age for permanent exemption from military service will be raised from 32 to 40, and the payment required for each month of exemption will increase from €900 to €1,500. Finally, exemptions due to health problems will be granted for five years; after that period, the conscript will be re-examined by a medical board to determine whether he is still unfit for service. At the same time, for Greeks who live abroad, deferrals will only be granted to those who lived abroad between the ages of 16 and 19, with checks on their status every three years.

The bill has caused controversy among the Greek opposition and many Greeks. According to them, the new restrictions will negatively affect young scientists, students, and Diaspora Greeks. They fear that students may be forced to enlist before completing their studies and that it will become more difficult for Greeks currently living abroad to return to the country. On 19 December, university students protested outside the Ministry of Defence against the new conscription law, while a similar protest is scheduled for 8 January, this time in Syntagma Square. However, the ministry later clarified that the Greeks who currently study and live outside the country won’t be affected by the conscription bill.

The Conscientious Objectors Association criticised the new conscription bill on their latest statement: “The bill once again fails to harmonize the domestic legislative framework with international law and international standards on conscientious objectors, fails to end human rights violations against conscientious objectors in Greece, with the risk that Greece will continue to be condemned by international courts and bodies – and while the decision of the UN Human Rights Committee in the Petromelidis v. Greece case has not yet been implemented.”

Conscription is a polarising subject among Greek youth. Over the years, I’ve heard various perspectives, both online and in real life. For many Greek men, military service is seen as a waste of time: they receive minimal training with outdated equipment, are forced to do chores for free, and are bullied by others in the camp. For others, military service is a duty to their homeland, a sign that they have reached maturity and become adult men. They see it as a place where their horizons broaden, they learn life lessons, and they meet new friends. Those who have managed to avoid service often have no regrets and believe they have dodged a bullet, while those who have not yet served are either trying to find ways to evade it or view it as an indispensable obligation in their lives.

For most young Greek men, the period of conscription is either one of the best or the worst times of their lives—experienced either like a prison or like a summer camp, with little middle ground.

The notion that compulsory military service should be abolished is quite popular among Greek Gen Z, especially in left-wing circles, but is deeply unpopular with the rest of Greek society due to Turkey.  For many pro-Conscription people, on the other hand, want the conscription to be even tougher, similar to Israel’s, blaming the Greek Youth for being lazy and weak, want the people who avoided the military service to be punished, and have no voting and driving rights; in short, they see them as traitors.