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As of 2006, Greece (Hellenic Republic) has mandatory military service of 12 months for men between the ages of 19 and 45. Citizens discharged from active service are normally placed in the Reserve and are subject to periodic recall of 1-10 days at irregular intervals. rifle backwards. Advocates of an all-volunteer force hold that it will lead to greater professionalism in the ranks.]] =History= Universal conscription was introduced in Greece during the military reforms of 1909, although various forms of selective draft had been in place earlier. In more recent years, conscription was associated with the state of general mobilisation declared on July 20, 1974 due to the crisis in Cyprus. (Greece reverted to a state of peace on December 18, 2002.) The length of a tour has varied histrically, between 12-36 months depending on various factors particuar to the conscript, and the political situation. Although women are accepted into the Greek army on a voluntary basis, they are not required to enlist, as men are. Soldiers receive no health insurance, but they are provided medical support during their army service, including hospitalization costs. As of 2006, Greece (Hellenic Republic) has mandatory military service of 12 months for men between the ages of 19 and 45. This is claimed by some analysts as key to its ability to maintain strong opposing force tactics against regional rivals such as Turkey. However, as the Armed forces had been gearing towards a complete professional army system, the government had promised that the mandatory military service would be cut to 6 months by 2008 or even abolished completely. However, this timetable is under reconsideration as of April 2006, due to severe manpower shortages. These were caused by a combination of (a) financial difficulties, which meant that professional soldiers could not be hired at the projected rate, and (b) widespread abuse of the deferement process, which meant that 66% draftees evaded service in 2005. NATIONAL GUARD AND CIVIL DEFENCE Greek males between the age of 18 and 60 who live in strategically sensitive areas may be required to serve part-time in the National Guard (''Ethnofylaki'' Greek : Εθνοφυλακη). Service in the Guard is paid. In 1998, the Greek Parliament voted law 2641 which mandated enrollment of Greek men and women between 18 and 60 years of age into a Civil Defence Organisation (''Palaiki Amina'' Greek : Παλλαικη Αμυνα). It was envisaged that the Civil Defence Organisation would respond to enemy action, natural disasters and all sorts of emergencies, but the law was never enforced. FINANCIAL REPERCUSSIONS Conscripts are unpaid, but nominal financial aid is provided, ranging from approximately 9 Euro s per month to 600 Euro s, depending on the conscripts' rank and family status. This aid is not -technically- considered a salary: it is intended to help draftees with various unforeseen expenses, which are not normally covered by the military (i.e. expenses other than food, accommodation, clothing, and transport fees). However, it is generally considered insufficient to sustain a draftee serving his tour away from his home and most draftees depend on their parents or on savings for financial support during their tour, if they want to enjoy the same standard of living as they had in civilian life. Greek employers tend to Dislike Hiring Men Older Than 32-35 Years Of Age , because they associate that age range with the increased cost of hiring an employee who is married, without first even considering if the applicant is married or not. The student population in Greece doubled in a period over seven years, from 1997 to 2004 . Unfortunately that led to higher Unemployment rates among university graduates, as in several fields in the job market, supply exceeds the demand. Also, due to relocation of heavy industry in the countries neighbouring Greece, the general workforce unemployment rate has been severely elevated in Greece for the past 6 years (current unemployment rate, as of Q3 of 2004, is 10% of the active work force). All those factors - financial dependence during tour, ageism, entering the workforce in their late 20s, increased unemployment, ensure that the average Greek male feels the economic reprecussions of constituency for years after he has fulfilled his military obligations. In 2004, the Greek Ministry of Defence passed a law stating that men over the age of 35 may buy off their military obligation for 18,225 Euro s after attending 45 days of basic training. At the beginning of 2006 this was adjusted to 8,505 euros (810 euros for every month not served). While this price tag is disproportionate to the financial aid that draftees receive (and the income of many Greeks), it corresponds to the (post-tax) income of professional soldiers. Critics of conscription in Greece argue that the only people who would be able to buy off their tour are rich people, and not ordinary citizens. ATTITUDE TOWARDS CONSCRIPTION AND CONSCRIPTS (DRAFTEES) Conscription in Greece is considered by the draftees as waste of time, since no real training takes place after bootcamp, but most feel that it's a "necessary evil", since it can't be avoided without suffering serious repercussions. The military has a strong part in Greek society and structure, and is generally regarded as one of the most trustworthy institutions of the country. The military is present in places that would seem alien to other countries, as well as the 'importance' of conscription and the army in general. For example army battalions partake in parades of National Celebration s. In past decades, the army also owned a Television Unit for the civilians. Among more traditional societies such as the rural regions, it is thought that a man proves his manhood only if he conscribes; since a large number of deferments were due to homosexuality or reasons of mental health, there was widespread prejudice against people who had not served in the army. In effect this meant that whoever was against serving or was incapable of doing so, had not the same status to men who had completed their duties and subconsciously was frowned upon and deemed useless by society. People seeking long-term employment in both the public and private sector are required to have no outstanding military obligations. Army has been considered as natural as the final 'school' of socialization and maturing of young Greek men before their comeout to the real world. This notion is still present in modern times, when the average age of draftees is higher, with adults having finished university or travelled aboard before their conscription and don't need more 'maturing'. The importance and also 'naturality' of conscription which is so strongly embedded in the Greek conscience as natural, is summarised in the proverb ''Woman has the birth, man has the army''. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS In 1997, the Greek parliament voted a law that established alternative and unarmed service for Conscientious Objectors and in 2001, amended the Constitution to recognise the right to conscientious objection. As of 2004, alternative service is twice as long as the military service minus a month, i.e. 23 months, and unarmed service is 1.5 times as long as the military service, i.e. 18 months. Men serving alternative service at an institution that cannot provide them with food and shelter are paid about 210 Euro s per month. DRAFT EVADERS AND CITIZENS LIVING ABROAD Until 2002, Greek citizens that had not fulfiled their military obligations and were living abroad had no right to be issued a passport once their original one expired. That year, the Greek parliament voted a law that granted the right to all Greek citizens to be issued passports, regardless of their draft status. In 2004, parliament granted amnesty to draft evaders, up to 30 days in a single calendar year, allowing them to visit Greece during that time. Draft evaders living in Greece are banned from leaving the country and cannot be issued with a passport. Greek military law allows Permanent Residents Abroad to defer military service till repatriation to Greece. Until 2005 the law only granted Permanent Residents Abroad status (for draft purposes) to persons who were born abroad or who moved abroad before the age of eleven and to those who immigrated to a specific set of countries before 1997. This definition excluded many thousands of citizens who were living abroad and who were branded as 'draft evaders' by the authorities. The law was amended at the end of 2005 to grant Permanent Resident Abroad status to persons who have lived abroad for at least eleven years, or have worked abroad for at least seven years. TRIVIA
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