Theodoros Degiannis ( el, Θεόδωρος Ντεγιάννης, 1926–2006) was a Greek admiral and chief of the

Hellenic National Defence General Staff The Hellenic National Defence General Staff ( el, Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας, abbr. ΓΕΕΘΑ) is the senior staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces. It was established in 1950, when the separate armed services minist ...

. He also served as the Minister of National Defence in the

Caretaker Cabinet of Ioannis Grivas The Caretaker Cabinet of Ioannis Grivas was the Cabinet of the government of Greece for the period 12 October–23 November 1989. It was sworn in on 12 October 1989 when the government of Tzannis Tzannetakis completed its work. The outgoing chairm ...

and in the

Ecumenical Cabinet of Xenophon Zolotas The Coalition Cabinet of Xenophon Zolotas was sworn in on November 23, 1989 when the November 1989 Greek legislative election resulted in a hung parliament. After an agreement between the three biggest parties, New Democracy, Panhellenic Socialis ...

. He was born in 1926 in

Chalcis Chalcis ( ; Ancient Greek & Katharevousa: , ) or Chalkida, also spelled Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief town of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

. In 1948 he graduated from the

Hellenic Naval Academy The Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy ( el, Σχολή Ναυτικών Δοκίμων, abbr. ΣΝΔ, lit. "School of Naval Cadets") is a military university and has the responsibility to educate and suitably train competent Naval Officers for the He ...

and later continued his studies in other academies, including taking the Senior Officers' War Course at the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

. During the

Greek military junta of 1967–74 The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels, . Also known within Greece as just the Junta ( el, η Χούντα, i Choúnta, links=no, ), the Dictatorship ( el, η Δικτατορία, i Diktatoría, links=no, ) or the Seven Years ( el, η Ε ...

, he was opposed to the regime, like many Navy officers. In 1977 he was promoted to vice admiral. In January 1982 he was appointed as chief of the

by the government of

Andreas Papandreou Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, wh ...

, as he was one of the officers considered most trustworthy by the newly elected government of

PASOK The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...

. He held the post until December 1984. In October 1989 he became Minister for National Defence in the

. In February 1990 he became again Minister in the

after a Cabinet reshuffle on 13 February 1990. He died in 2006. His brother was Ioannis Degiannis, the presiding judge at the

Greek Junta Trials The Greek junta trials ( el, Οι Δίκες της Χούντας translated as: The Τrials of the Junta) were the trials involving members of the military junta that ruled Greece from 21 April 1967 to 23 July 1974. These trials involved the ins ...

and member of parliament with PASOK. Another brother, Ioannis Degiannis, was also a naval officer and a leading member of the Prometheus II resistance organization during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Degiannis, Theodoros 1926 births 2006 deaths Hellenic Navy admirals Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Ministers of National Defence of Greece People from Chalcis