On Monday, 7 July 2025, the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias visited Camp “Tzanidaki – Svoronou” in Litohoro, Pieria, accompanied by the Chief/HAGS Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis. Mr. Dendias went to the camp’s proving ground and obstacle course where the Hellenic Military Academy hosts the 1st Summer Campus 2025 for High School students in the same area where it also conducts its summer training.
The “Summer Campus 2025” programme is addressed at High School students above 16 years of age, who voluntarily participate in the program to become acquainted with the everyday training of the cadets, in the context of the career guidance. In particular, 42 High School male and 17 female students are attending the programme.
The Minister of National Defence had the opportunity to attend part of the Hellenic Military Academy’s summer training and of “Summer Campus 2025” program and discuss with its participants.
Mr. Dendias pointed out in his statement:
“It is a great pleasure to be here today in Litochoro, at the Kanapitsa proving ground, where every summer the Hellenic Military Academy conducts its summer training.
But also, another extremely important thing is going on here. For the first time and in the context of the Summer Campus program, 59 male and female students are hosted here, in order to become acquainted with both the challenges and the requirements of military life.
The most important thing is that these children, the girls and boys, are volunteers and registrations, which were made via online application, filled up in less than 48 hours. Unfortunately, we had not foreseen the large number of those wishing to participate. Next year, we will significantly expand our capacity.
These children are for us the expression of the highest hope. The expression of hope that a sufficient number of female and male High School students will want to attend our Military Academies. In this case, the Hellenic Military Academy.
Our ambition is to have the best attend our country’s Academies, because it is of utmost importance that our Armed Forces have the best personnel, the best of Greeks.
For us, the powerful Armed Forces are a necessary condition for our survival. To manage this, to achieve it in the context of the “2030 Agenda”, we have taken a series of important steps.
We have upgraded, to a great extent I might say, the infrastructure of the Military Academies through private donations. We have increased fourfold the pay of Hellenic Military Academy, Hellenic Naval Academy, and Hellenic Air Force Academy cadets during their studies.
And of course, the most important thing, we improve their pay when they go on to serve the country as Officers, and at the same time we create an environment in which they will serve, which we believe is the most technologically advanced environment in the country.
Now, the Greek female and male Officers serve in an environment that is envied by everyone in the private and public sector, because, as I said before, it is the most advanced environment, technologically speaking, that has ever existed. With the new platforms and the new capabilities acquired by the Armed Forces, as has been scheduled in the “2030 Agenda”, this environment will develop and improve at a quick pace.
Again, I would like to thank the girls and boys participating in this program. I wish them a good stay here in Kanapitsa and wish to tell them that the most honorary and important thing in this life is to wear the uniform with the national coat of arms. That is, to be clad every day, every hour of your life in a uniform that represents your country”.
The Minister of National Defence was also accompanied by the Commanding General of the Hellenic First Army/EU-OHQ “ACHILLEAS”, Lieutenant General Stavros Papastathopoulos, the Commandant of the Hellenic Military Academy, Major General Anastasios Polychronos, and the Commanding General of the XXIV ARMOURED BRIGADE, Brigadier General Athanasios Tzikas.
