Conscripts to be utilized on Israeli model

Following the Israeli blueprint, Greece’s Defense Ministry is reportedly developing a plan whereby the mandatory military service of conscripts will be used to develop additional professional skills, for their own benefit but also for that of the armed forces and the state apparatus as a whole.

The plan, which seeks to tap into the qualifications of conscripts and enhance their skills, is being drafted in collaboration with a technical advisor from the Digital Policy Ministry.

More specifically, the ultimate aim is to match the qualifications and talents of incoming conscripts with the needs of the army, as far as this is possible.

The plan foresees a large database with the information provided by the new recruits. With this as a guide, army authorities will be able to ensure that conscripts are trained in their fields of expertise, so that by the end of their term they have gained additional experience and certified qualifications. What’s more, conscripts with honors and distinctions from specific university faculties will be placed in key positions. 

A typical example of the plan is IT graduates, who may be placed at the Cyber ​​Defense Directorate of Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA). Similarly, law graduates will be appointed to the legal offices of the minister and deputies of defense and in departments that have jurisdiction over military contracts. Qualified engineers, meanwhile, will work on the production or maintenance of weapons systems.

This way the tenure of conscripts will be part of an internship in subjects that can later be a field of professional engagement, while at the same time the armed forces themselves will be able to make the best use of the conscripts.

The project, which is expected to be developed in two phases, has already been approved by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Kathimerini understands that the program will begin with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the ministries of Defense and Digital Policy at the beginning of next year.

However, an interim program will be launched sooner, aimed at enhancing the knowledge of conscripts already doing their military service. In particular, vouchers are being considered – mainly for the acquisition of digital skills – during military service.