Greece has established three new Special Operations units in Attica, Central Macedonia and northern Evros as part of its Agenda 2030 defense overhaul. Two of the units will be manned exclusively by reservists, marking a significant shift in how the Hellenic Armed Forces assign, mobilize and command trained personnel after they leave active service.
The Defense Ministry said the move addresses a long-standing weakness in the reserve system. Soldiers who completed demanding Special Forces training often left active duty without a designated wartime unit, task or mobilization plan. Under the new structure, these personnel will know exactly where to report and what role they will perform if called up.
The ministry framed the decision as a way to ensure that costly Special Forces skills remain operationally useful rather than disappearing into an inactive reserve pool. Officials did not disclose the units’ official names, size, command relationships, precise locations or readiness dates, nor did they identify which two formations will be reservist-only.
Agenda 2030 Expands Beyond Procurement
Agenda 2030 is widely associated with major acquisition programs, including the Achilles’ Shield air and missile defense network, new aircraft, naval modernization, and investments in drones and counter-drone systems. The reform also targets force structure and personnel policy.
Athens is closing or merging understrength units, reducing the number of military camps, and revising compulsory service, reserve training and military education. The stated goal is to replace a dispersed force of understrength formations with fewer, fully manned units supported by shorter command chains and modern surveillance systems.
The three new Special Operations units represent one of the clearest signs that the manpower side of the reform is moving from planning into implementation.
Command Chain Shortened
As part of the broader restructuring, the Hellenic First Army has been removed from the operational chain of command. Four commands now report directly to the Hellenic Army General Staff: the Supreme Military Command of Thrace, the Supreme Military Command of Epirus and Macedonia, the Supreme Military Command of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, and the Hellenic Army Support Command.
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias has repeatedly criticized the previous multi-layered structure for slowing decision-making. The new model aims to give regional commands greater autonomy and reduce the number of headquarters involved in routine operational decisions.
The ministry has not clarified whether the new Special Operations units will fall under the regional commands, the Army, or Greece’s joint Special Warfare structure.
Reservists Assigned to Named Formations
The announcement also advances Greece’s plan to create an active volunteer reserve of up to 150,000 personnel. Individuals who completed military service in the past decade will be able to join a pool that trains regularly and remains linked to operational formations.
Reserve Refresher Training Centres have opened at Avlonas and Litochoro, offering updated infantry, medical, survival, and drone-related courses. Call-ups are being transferred to the gov.gr digital platform.
For former Special Forces personnel, the change is more direct: they will now be attached to specific formations with defined responsibilities. The two reservist-only units provide the clearest indication yet of how Athens intends to employ highly trained former conscripts.
Strategic Locations Selected
The Defense Ministry has not explained why Attica, Central Macedonia and northern Evros were chosen, though each carries clear strategic weight.
- Attica contains the capital, senior command facilities, major ports, airports and critical infrastructure.
- Central Macedonia includes Thessaloniki and key northern transport corridors, as well as the Litochoro training center.
- Northern Evros borders Türkiye and forms part of the Thrace operational area, one of Greece’s most sensitive military regions.
Athens has not stated that any unit was created specifically for operations against Türkiye.
Focus on Assignment Over Numbers
Defense officials emphasize that the importance of the decision lies less in the number of new commandos than in ensuring trained personnel remain connected to a formation, task and mobilization plan after leaving active service.
The ministry has yet to release details on the units’ command relationships, training cycles or readiness timetable.
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