Today, Friday 20 March 2026, the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, attended the oath-taking ceremony of the 2026 A Enlistment Series Newly Recruited Soldiers, which took place at the Newly Recruited Soldier Training Centre in Avlonas, Attica.
The ceremony was officiated by His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Ilion, Acharnes, and Petroupoli, Mr. Athinagoras.
The ceremony was attended by the Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff, LieutenantGeneral Georgios Kostidis, as representative of the Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Dimitrios Choupis, the Chief of Hellenic Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras HN, the Chief of Hellenic Air Force General Staff, Lieutenant General (HAF) Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, Honorary Chiefs of Hellenic Army General Staff, General and Senior Officers, Armed Forces NCOs, representatives of the Security Forces, representatives of the localauthorities, and family and friends of the newly recruited soldiers.
In his address, Mr. Dendias stressed the following:
“It is my great pleasure to be here today, at the Newly Recruited Soldier Training Centre in Avlonas for the oath-taking ceremony of the 2026 A Enlistment Series Newly Recruited Soldiers.
In fact the first series of the New Service. I will not pretend that everything is or will be perfect.
But I want to tell you that this is the first important step to a great change. A different service and a different approach.
And I want to tell you that I am very proud to address you today and tell you that this New Service and this new approach is absolutely necessary in order to exist as an independent democratic country, with the right to chose our future as Greek society sees fit each time.
Dear parents, I would like to tell you that you should be proud of your children. Today, they come of age, because, just as in Ancient Athens and throughout our history, to come of age meant to have the right as a citizen to bear arms and transform from a Citizen to a Hoplite.
I would like to congratulate you on the completion of your initial training and wish you wholeheartedly all the best during your service”.
