Changes in the Armed Forces: Incentives and benefits for conscription, reserve service, and military careers – Housing program, salary system, and voluntary enlistment of women

With an HR-style approach, focusing connected incentives beyond wage increases, the Greek Ministry of National Defense is entering a caller signifier successful the Armed Forces, aiming some to stem the question of resignations and to attract much conscripts and reservists.

The legislative connection titled “Roadmap for the Transition of the Armed Forces into a New Era”, presented by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias astatine the latest furniture meeting, includes voluntary subject work for women, arsenic good arsenic a new wage standard for personnel. However, it has triggered strong reactions from non-commissioned officers, who reason that it undermines their vocation way and rights.

New Incentives and Career Paths

Current subject unit are expected to clasp a gathering connected October 11 astatine the Old Parliament to protestation the bill, which they judge negatively affects not lone NCO academy graduates but besides officers from subject academies (ASEI), EMTH (short-term enlisted), and EPOP (professional soldiers), representing a important information of progressive subject staff.

At the aforesaid time, the Defense Ministry emphasizes the request for a modern and effectual army, integrating lessons from 21st-century conflicts specified arsenic Ukraine. “We request a caller service — and we volition make it,” Dendias said, announcing a new conscription model, a revamped progressive reserve system, and an overhauled pay-grade structure.

Housing Program

One of the cardinal incentives is simply a 10-year lodging plan, funded by the defence procurement budget. The extremity is to guarantee every subject subordinate has a location erstwhile reassigned, without needing to hunt the unfastened market.

Support for subject families volition besides expand, including more childcare centers nationwide and enhanced access to subject abrogation resorts, present extended to non-commissioned officers arsenic well.

Military Store Discounts & Support Services

To boost the purchasing power of personnel, the Ministry volition upgrade military PX (canteens) with discount offers from assorted sectors of the Greek economy.

Summarizing, Dendias emphasized the wide benefits:

“Better salaries, amended vocation prospects, housing, household support, vacations, and amended entree to user goods.”

Conscription and Reserve Service Incentives

The aforesaid incentive-based attack applies to conscripts and reservists:

• €100 monthly stipend for those serving successful Evros and the islands
• A new nutrition system based connected updated technological standards
• Expanded benefits for reservists, aiming to turn their fig to 150,000

Planned benefits for reservists include:

• Training successful advanced weapons systems (e.g. drones and anti-drones)
• Access to subject hospitals
• Eligibility for subject store benefits

Financing and Employer Cooperation

Dendias besides discussed fiscal aspects:

“We are moving with leader associations to unafraid flexibility for those absent owed to reserve duty. We person already agreed with SEV (Federation of Enterprises),” helium said.

Funds raised from the buyout of subject service volition beryllium utilized to enactment the reserve programme — peculiarly for tiny businesses that cannot spend the related costs.

Voluntary Military Service for Women

One of the boldest reforms is the instauration of voluntary enlistment for women.

Benefits for participating women include:

• Access to subject hospitals and clubs
• Recognition of work clip arsenic nonrecreational experience
• Bonus points for ASEP nationalist assemblage exams
• Eligibility for EPOP (contract soldier) positions
• Priority hiring arsenic civilian personnel (e.g. nurses, childcare staff, admin roles)

The first phase of this programme volition see 200 pistillate volunteers.