Hellenic National Defence General Staff

Hellenic National Defence General Staff
Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας
Emblem of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff. The Corinthian helmet represents the Hellenic Army, the anchor the Hellenic Navy, and the wings the Hellenic Air Force
Founded	1950
Country	Greece
Branch	Armed forces
Type	Military staff
Part of	Hellenic Armed Forces
Headquarters	Ministry of National Defence, Psychiko, Athens, Greece
Motto(s)	Ever to Excel Αἰὲν Ἀριστεύειν Een aristevin
Website	www.geetha.mil.gr
Commanders
Chief	General Dimitrios Choupis
Notable commanders	Field Marshal Alexandros Papagos
Insignia
Abbreviation	ΓΕΕΘΑ ("HNDGS")
Flag

The Hellenic National Defence General Staff (Greek: 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 ministries were consolidated into the Ministry of National Defence. Its role in peacetime was as a coordinating and senior consultative body at the disposal of the Greek government, and in wartime as the overall headquarters of the Armed Forces. In recent years, through ongoing efforts at increased inter-services cooperation and integration, the HNDGS has assumed peacetime operational control over the separate branches. Between 19 December 1968 and 10 August 1977, the HNDGS was abolished, and the Armed Forces Headquarters (Greek: Αρχηγείο Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων, abbr. Greek: ΑΕΔ) established in its place.