The officer ranks of the three branches of the armed forces correspond precisely to those of the United States armed forces (see fig. 13). For enlisted personnel, the Hellenic Army promotes directly from sergeant first class (archilochias) to sergeant major (anthypaspistis), and the Hellenic Air Force promotes directly from master sergeant (archisminias) to chief master sergeant (anthypaspistis). The Hellenic Navy promotes enlisted personnel directly from seaman apprentice (naftis) to petty officer third class (diopos) and from chief petty officer (archikelefstis) to master chief petty officer (anthypaspistis) (see fig. 14).

Until the end of World War II, Greek military dress showed the strong influence of British uniform styles. After the war, however, Greek uniforms gradually came to resemble those of the United States, which also was the country that replaced Britain as Greece's strongest military ally.

Standard duty uniforms of army officers and senior NCOs are olive green. Army officers' dress uniforms are dark green, navy officers' are dark blue (a white dress uniform is used in the summer), and air force officers' dress uniforms are light blue. Trim and accessories for the dress uniforms may be changed to satisfy the requirements of various types of formal occasions.

Until 1994 battle dress consisted mainly of United States-style field uniforms. That year new camouflage uniforms were issued to replace the previous field uniform. Branches of the army can be distinguished by the color of the beret, which is worn with service dress, and in some cases with battle dress. The air corps of the ground forces is issued red berets; commandos and airborne forces, green; armored troops, black; infantry and artillery, khaki.

When on parade or standing guard, the Evzone (Presidential Honor Guard) wear the colorful traditional costume of the mountain warriors who fought the Ottomans in the Greek War of Independence (1821-32). This dress uniform includes tasseled cap and shoes, white stockings and the fustanella, a shirtwaist with pleated skirt of white fustian.

The navy's winter service uniform coat is navy blue, and its summer equivalent is white. The eight-buttoned, double-breasted blouses, blue caps, and white shirts, worn by naval commissioned and petty officers in winter, are of British cut, as are the summer blouses, which are buttoned to the collar. Short-sleeved shirts, worn open collared without blouses, are standard daytime wear for naval officers and petty officers in warm weather. Uniforms for sailors are also patterned on British styles.

The air force has adopted uniforms and insignia modeled after those of the United States Air Force. For all ranks, the uniform, including cap, is light blue; it is worn with a gray-blue shirt and black tie.

Data as of December 1994

NOTE: The information regarding Greece on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Greece Ranks and Uniforms information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Greece Ranks and Uniforms should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.