The US military website, Global Firepower (GFP), which specializes in ranking military forces, has ranked Greece 30th out of 145 countries for the year 2023.
For 2023, Turkey was ranked 11th among the 145 countries that did the review.
Each country was assessed individually and in groups and processed through an internal formula to generate strength index scores.
Turkish-Greek ties have spiralled downward since Erdogan announced that he “wrote off” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for lobbying against the sale of F-16 fighters to Turkey in the US Congress in May. Since then, fiery rhetoric on both sides, accusations of sea and airspace violations, military maneuvers that exclude each other and confrontations at international gatherings have become recurrent in the bilateral ties.
War Between Greece and Turkey: The Air Component
Both countries will first try to achieve air superiority. Whoever dominates the skies will have an undisputed advantage over the other.
Turkey has 251 fighter jets, mostly variants of the F-16 and some F-4 Phantoms, while Greece has a fleet of 233 fighters, which is more diverse and includes the newly acquired F3R Rafale, F-16, F-4s, and Mirage 2000-5Mk2.
The Turkish military has been considerably weakened after the failed 2016 coup d’état attempt. The Turkish Air Force has been hit the hardest. Over 60 per cent of its aviators and maintainers have been jailed or kicked out from the military. As a result, aircraft are not very well maintained, triggering a fall in operational preparedness.
Equally alarming is the future of the Turkish Air Force. Suppose Ankara cannot bypass Congress and the reservations of the Biden administration and upgrade its fighter fleet by 2035. In that case, it will have become obsolete and easy prey for the Hellenic Air Force, which ranks among the best in NATO and is already upgrading its fleet.
Greek Army or Hellenic Armed Forces
The Greek Armed Forces, also referred to in the vernacular as the Greek Army (although the Army is a part of the forces), comprise the military power of Greece. The Armed Forces consist of three divisions, the Hellenic Army (land division), the Hellenic Navy, and the Hellenic Air Force. The Armed Forces personnel consist of military professionals, professional soldiers of long–term service and soldiers serving their mandatory duties.
According to the constitution, the Hellenic Armed Forces leader is the Hellenic Republic's President. Still, the strategy and planning is done by the Governmental Council of Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), led by the Prime Minister of Greece.
The Minister of National Defense is the political manager of the Armed Forces, while their natural manager is the Chief of the National Defense General Staff (GEETHA). After the restoration of Democracy in 1974, the Chief of GEETHA was also the sole Greek military official with the title of General, Admiral or Air Marshal, depending on the division he belonged to.
According to the law, the Armed Forces' mission is to defend Greece's national independence and integrity, protect its national territory, and assist in the completion of the political goals of the country. In periods of peace, the Armed Forces are responsible for being constantly alert for the protection of the national territory, preventing threats and risks, contributing to international safety and peace, and contributing to society by assisting the public services in times of need.
In Greece, according to the constitution, all Greek males must serve in the Hellenic Military for a period after they become 19 years old. From 2009, the full military service in the Hellenic Army division is nine months, while in the Hellenic Navy and Air Force, it is 12 months. Special conditions also apply, depending on social, health and other criteria; some Greeks may serve a reduced military service, currently eight, six or three months for the Hellenic Army division, and nine or six months for the other divisions. In other cases, individuals may also be fully exempt from military service.
