The Hellenic Army, the Greek ground forces, includes 113,000 troops, of whom 100,000 are conscripts, and 2,200 of whom are women. The ground force reserves includes 350,000 troops, of whom 230,000 are trained for field army activity. The First Army, the only field army in the ground forces, is headquartered at Larisa in Central Greece and is divided into four corps, headquartered respectively at Kozani (First Corps, north-central Greece), Veroia (Second Corps, north-central Greece), Thessaloniki (Third Corps, on the north Aegean shore), and Xanthi (Fourth Corps, in Greek Thrace). The Higher Military Command of the Interior and the Islands (ASDEN HQ) is located in Athens.

The First Corps and Second Corps are responsible for protection of the country's northern borders. The Third Corps and Fourth Corps share responsibility for the Greek-Turkish border in Thrace and the islands. ASDEN, designated as a territorial defense force, is responsible for the rest of the country, as well as for the islands, acting in a complementary role to the field army.

The field army has a total strength of 82,000 troops. Besides the four corps headquarters, there are also one armored divisional headquarters and one mechanized divisional headquarters. The army includes nine infantry divisions, each of which has three infantry and one artillery regiment and one armored battalion. Of the divisions, two are category A (85 percent full combat readiness), three are category B (60 percent combat ready within twenty-four hours), and four are category C (20 percent combat ready in fortyeight hours). The army also includes five independent armored brigades, each of which has two armored battalions, one mechanized, and one self-propelled artillery battalion, all of which are category A.

In addition, the army has one independent mechanized brigade, including two mechanized battalions, one armored and one selfpropelled artillery battalion, all in category A. Those units are supported by two infantry brigades; one marine brigade including three infantry battalions and one artillery battalion and one armored squadron, all category A; one commando and one raider regiment; four reconnaissance battalions; ten field artillery battalions; six air defense artillery battalions; two surface-to- air missile battalions with upgraded Hawk missiles; two army aviation battalions; and one independent aviation company.

The ASDEN territorial defense forces are divided into four military command headquarters, one of which is in Athens. The forces include one infantry division, one paratroop regiment, eight field artillery battalions, four air-defense artillery battalions, and one army aviation battalion. A reserve force of 34,000 National Guard troops is responsible for internal security in wartime.

In the early 1990s, significant arms expenditures for the ground forces have included the purchase of new attack helicopters, modernization of tanks and transport helicopters, and modernization and enhancement of artillery firepower (see table 14, Appendix).

Data as of December 1994

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