Greece unveils reform for reservists by 2030

ATHENS

Greece plans to build a 150,000-strong active reservist force by 2030, as part of a sweeping modernization effort to strengthen its national defense, local media has reported.

The initiative, part of the government’s Agenda 2030 strategy for the armed forces, was presented by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias at the Hellenic Military Academy in Athens.

The effort seeks to address inefficiencies in the current reservist system and includes modernized retraining programs that will incorporate drones, simulators, and digital platforms.

Defense officials emphasized that training methods will be modeled on best practices from Israel and Finland, aiming to enhance combat readiness and ensure a more effective national defense posture.

On April 2, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that Greece will spend 25 billion euros ($27 billion) through to 2036 in the “most drastic” defense overhaul in its modern history.

The drive, which includes a new anti-missile, anti-aircraft and anti-drone defensive dome called “Achilles’s Shield,” is aimed at addressing rapidly changing geopolitical challenges and fraying transatlantic ties, Mitsotakis said.

“The plan involves the most drastic transformation of the armed forces in the country’s modern history,” Mitsotakis told parliament. “The world is changing at an unforeseeable pace.”

Greece has traditionally invested at least two percent of gross domestic product on its defense, NATO’s spending target, owing to decades of tension with Türkiye.