Cypriot National Guard

Cypriot National Guard Εθνική Φρουρά Kıbrıs Ulusal Muhafızları Cypriot National Guard
guide
Commander in Chief :	President of the Republic of Cyprus
Military Commander:	Lieutenant General Ilias A. Leontaris
Military strength
Active soldiers:	12,700
Conscription:	14 months
Eligibility for military service:	Completed 17th - 50th age
household
Military budget:	$ 395 million (2017)
Share of gross domestic product :	1.9% (2017)
history
Founding:	1960

The Cypriot National Guard ( Greek Εθνική Φρουρά , Turkish Kıbrıs Ulusal Muhafızları , English Cypriot National Guard ) is the military of the Republic of Cyprus . It is divided into the three classic branches of the armed forces (army, navy and air force), has a staff of 12,700 men and there is general conscription of 14 months. Since 1974 the area of ​​operations of the Cypriot National Guard has been limited to the part of Cyprus that is predominantly inhabited by Greek-speaking Cypriots.

history

The Cypriot National Guard was founded in 1960, the year of independence, as an implementation of paragraphs 129-132 of the constitution and has always remained under the control of the majority of the Greek population. In 1963 acts of terror resulted in a civil war triggered by both sides ( Georgios Grivas ) . It was ended by the deployment of UN troops and an armistice was signed on August 10, 1964. On July 15, 1974, President Makarios was deposed by a coup of the National Guard under Nikos Sampson ; the goal was the connection of Cyprus to Greece . The Turkey responded on July 20, with the operation Atilla . Turkish forces landed in Cyprus and fought with the National Guard. There was an occupation of the northern part of the island. The coup then collapsed and the old order was restored. However, the area still occupied by the Turks declared itself independent on November 15, 1983 as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus . In 1997, the purchase of Russian anti-aircraft missiles for the Cypriot National Guard led to war threats from Turkey.

structure

Land Forces

• I. Infantry - Division (Ιη Μεραρχία ΠΖ)
• II Infantry Division (ΙΙα Μεραρχία ΠΖ)
• IV Infantry Division (ΙVη Ταξιαρχία ΠΖ)
• XX. Panzer - Brigade (ΧΧη ΤΘ Ταξιαρχία)
• III. Support Brigade (ΙΙΙη Ταξιαρχία ΥΠ)
• VIII. Support Brigade (VIIIη Ταξιαρχία ΥΠ)

The land forces have main battle tanks of the types AMX-30 (61 pieces and 52 pieces AMX-30B2) and T-80 U (41 pieces) as well as reconnaissance tanks (124 pieces EE-9 Cascavel , 15 pieces EE-3 Jararaca ), armored personnel carriers (43 Pieces of BMP-3 ) and about 300 armored personnel carriers .

In addition to anti-aircraft guns, guided missiles of the types "Mistral" (60 pieces, some on self-propelled guns), " Aspide " (24 pieces) and 9K330 Tor-M1 (seven pieces) are used as anti-aircraft weapons .

Naval forces

The Navy has coast guard boats (a Salamis PBM, a Kyrenia (great Dilos) PBM, two Rodman 55 PPF, two Cantieri Vittoria PB) and eleven speed boats . It also has a marine weapon battery (MM-40 " Exocet "). One of the bases is the Evangelos Florakis naval base .

There are also units of the paramilitary port and sea police (Greek Λιμενική και Ναυτική Αστυνομία ).

Air Force

The Air Command ( Greek Διοίκησης Αεροπορίας Κύπρου , Turkish Kıbrıs Hava Kuvvetleri ) is the air force of the Cypriot National Guard and has a staff of 1,200.

• 55th group
  • 450th Combat Helicopter Squadron
  • 460th SAR relay with control center
  • 420th Air Defense Squadron
  • Logistics scale

equipment

Sea vessels

(Status: end of 2017)

Ship class	origin	image	Ships	displacement	Remarks
Patrol boats
Al Mubrukah	United Kingdom		Alasia (A620)	930 t	Former Al Mubrukah of the Omani Navy
Sa'ar 62	Israel		Commodore Andreas Ioannides (P61)	500 t	Another boat under construction, which should be delivered in 2020.
32L Esterel	France		Salamis (P01)
FPB 30M	Italy		Lieutenant Eleftherios Tsomakis (P03) Lieutenant commander Nikolas Georgiou (P04)	96 t
FPB 26M	Finland		Ammochostus (P05)
Rodman 55	Spain		Agathos Panagos		Use by the special forces

Aircraft

(Status: end of 2019)

Aircraft	image	origin	use	version	active	Ordered	Remarks
Planes
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander		United Kingdom	transport	BN-2B-21	1
Pilatus PC-9		Switzerland	Trainer aircraft		1
helicopter
Mil Wed-24		Russia	Attack helicopter	Mi-35P	11
Aérospatiale SA-342		France	Anti-tank helicopter	SA-342L	4th		It is intended to acquire four used French machines and to modernize the existing ones.
AgustaWestland AW139		Italy	Search and Rescue		3
Bell 206		United States	School helicopter	Bell 206L	2
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Aerostar Tactical UAS		Israel	Reconnaissance drone		4th

Other military units in Cyprus

Military bases and buffer zones in Cyprus

The internationally not recognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has a small army with seven infantry battalions (approx. 5000 men) and its own coast guard . The units of the Turkish Army in Northern Cyprus number 36,000 men. On the other side, 1200 officers and soldiers of the Greek Army (Greek: ΔΥΚ) are stationed in Cyprus . The UN ( UNFICYP ) provides 938 soldiers to secure the armistice line.

In addition, there are two autonomous British military bases, Akrotiri and Dekelia .

See also

• List of commanders in chief of the Cypriot National Guard
• List of Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Cyprus
• Ranks of the Cypriot National Guard

Web links

Commons : Cypriot Military  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Cypriot National Guard (Greek and English)
• Military International - Cyprus on the sides of the Austrian Armed Forces

Individual evidence

1. ^ CIA - The World Factbook.
2. ^ Military expenditure by country in US $ 2001-2017. (PDF) Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) , accessed December 24, 2019 . 
3. ↑ Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product 2001-2017. (PDF) Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, accessed December 24, 2019 . 
4. Jump up ↑ D-Mitch: NAVAL FORCES # 12 and COAST GUARD VESSELS # 5: Cyprus Naval Command & Coast Guard patrol vessels. In: navalanalyses.com. December 14, 2017, accessed December 23, 2019 . 
5. ^ Second Sa'ar 62-class OPV ordered for Cypriot Navy. In: bairdmaritime.com. December 12, 2018, accessed December 23, 2019 . 
6. ↑ World Air Force 2020. Flight International , December 10, 2019, accessed December 23, 2019 . 
7. ^ ^{A b} Evie Andreou: Helicopters to be bought for the National Guard. In: cyprus-mail.com. November 28, 2017, accessed December 23, 2019 . 
8. ↑ Cyprus stocking up on drones. In: ekathimerini.com. October 3, 2019, accessed December 23, 2019 .