The National Guard ( el, Εθνοφυλακή, Ethnofylakí) is part of the

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

and are voluntary corps, mainly located in areas near the frontiers, consisted of trained and armed volunteer men (and since 2019 women).Εθνοφύλακες: Οι ένοπλοι κάτοικοι των συνόρων
eleftheria.gr

Historical background

The first unit in the Greek army with the name of "National Guard" was established in 1843 during the early reign of

Otto of Greece Otto (, ; 1 June 181526 July 1867) was a Bavarian prince who ruled as King of Greece from the establishment of the monarchy on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed on 23 October 1862. The second son of King Ludw ...

. It was voluntary unit and consisted of men 18-24 years old.Δυνάμεις εθνοφυλακής
/ref> Much later, in 1948, during the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...

were established the

National Guard Defence Battalions The National Guard Defence Battalions or TEA ( el, Τάγματα Εθνοφυλακής Αμύνης, ΤΕΑ) were a paramilitary internal security organization active in Greece (especially Northern Greece) between 1948 and 1982, under the control ...

(TEA), with a strongly anticommunist orientation. Their mission was supporting the regular Hellenic Army in national defence and internal security.

Present form

Due to their hard-line right-wing orientation, the TEA were disestablished in 1982 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 ...

, and replaced with the National Guard.

References

External links

* {{Greek Military 1982 establishments in Greece Military units and formations established in 1982 Military units and formations of the Hellenic Army Reserve forces