Loading Text-to-Speech…
At Material Warfare Training Center (MWTF) In Lamia, on Thursday morning, the first women out of the 72 who were called to serve as volunteers in the Greek army were presented. After passing through the gate, they were welcomed by the staff of the center, while at KEYP was also the head of GES, Lt. Gen. George Kostidiswho conversed with them. Afterwards, they received their dressing materials and were shown to their rooms.
The 72 female volunteers presented themselves at the Material Warfare Training Center in Lamia – “stressed but also excited”, said one of them, Apostolia Karpeta, shortly before passing through the gate.
“The army is something I’ve been chasing since I was little. I saw that volunteering offers opportunities and decided to join. I’m waiting to see how it will be inside”, says one of the volunteers just before passing the KEYP gate, while “stressed but also excited”, declares Apostolia Karpetaalso a volunteer.
According to information from “K”the interest of women in voluntary service was very high and the applications that arrived at the recruitment offices of the GES far exceeded initial expectations. The announcement of the Ministry of National Defense concerned 100 positions, but more than 170 women expressed their interest in writing. Candidates were then referred for medical examinations and 72 were deemed suitable, who were invited to appear at the KEP.
The tenure
The 72 female volunteers they will remain in the army for twelve months, regardless of whether they serve in urban centers or on the frontier. At KEYP Lamia they will remain for the first stage of their ten-week term, during which they will attend initial training and fighter training. In three weeks they will receive their first leave, while their swearing-in will take place on June 26 in the presence of the political and military leadership.
In the second stage of their termlasting four weeks, they will receive their specialty and then they will be transferred to the units where they will be trained in items of an operational nature.
“Their ranking completes the equal representation of women in the Armed Forces, contributes to increasing the potential of the Greek army and strengthening its operational readiness”, the lieutenant colonel underlines Konstantina Klonaricommander of the KEYP Lamia recruit battalion.
The female volunteers who chose to dress in khakis and passed through the gate of the KEYP Lamia, belong to the age group of 20 to 26 years, as provided by the order of the Ministry of National Defense.
After the lapse of twelve months, female volunteers will be able to be reclassified or reclassified as short-term reclassification soldiers (OBA) and after reaching the age of 40 they will join the reserve and in case of mobilization they will be called up according to the needs of the GES. With the new military service data that came into effect from February’s ESSO, women, like men, will receive a monthly allowance of 100 euros if they serve on the border and 50 euros for the mainland. In addition, they will be able to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the “tenure-opportunity” program to obtain certification for their later professional life.
OR next announcement for women’s voluntary term is expected at the beginning of 2027, however, according to the current provision, the respective Minister of National Defense retains the possibility to announce more positions during the year as well.
