Today, Wednesday 8 July 2026, the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Thanasis Davakis, attended the oath-taking ceremony of the new 7th Training Class Sergeants, which took place at the Hellenic Air Force NCO Academy at Dekelia Air Base, and presented the diplomas to the new NCOs.
The doxology was officiated by His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Kifisia, Amarousion, Oropos, and Marathon, Mr. Kyrillos.
The ceremony was also attended by the Chief of Hellenic Air Force General Staff, Lieutenant General (HAF) Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, the Commander of the Air Training Command, Major General (HAF) Marios Badouvas, the Commandant of the Hellenic Air Force NCO Academy, Brigadier General (HAF) Christos Karamanis, general officers of the Armed Forces, representatives of the local government and bodies, the Security Forces, active duty and retired officers, and family members of the new NCOs.
Graduates included 188 new NCOs, specifically 181 Air Force Sergeants and 7 Joint Corps Sergeants (171 from Greece, 15 from Cyprus, and 2 from Senegal).
In his address to the new NCOs, the Deputy Minister of National Defence stated the following:
“It is a great pleasure to be here with you again, at Dekelia Air Base. I see before me young men and women, just 21 years old, full of dreams, energy, and determination.
It is you who, with your knowledge and dutifulness, will maintain and keep operational our state-of-the-art aircraft, the F-16 Viper, the Rafale, and the F-35, and operate our Hellenic Air Force’s advanced anti-air systems, thus guaranteeing the country’s deterrent power.
I would like to wholeheartedly congratulate you on your success, as well as your parents for supporting you. I wish you good luck in your career. A career which we are obliged to make meaningful and upgrade.”
