The first female volunteers arrived in the Greek army

In Greece The first 72 female volunteers arrived at the training center in Lamia, beginning a pilot program for military service.

The first women volunteerswho will serve in Greek Ground Forcesarrived at the training center in Lamia. This is the launch of a pilot program for voluntary military service for women, which the authorities present as a new stage in women’s participation in Greek Armed Forces.

@lamiareport.gr Σήμερα στη Λαμία γράφτηκε μια μικρή αλλά σημαντική σελίδα ιστορίας! 72 κάνοντας το πρώτο τους βήμα με αποφασιστικότητα, συγκίνηση και περηφάνια. Στα βλέμματα των γονιών, στα λόγια των ίδιων, στην εικόνα της κατάταξης, αποτυπώνεται μια νέα εποχή για τις Ένοπλες Δυνάμεις. #lr #army #greekarmy #armywomen #news ♬ πρωτότυπος ήχος – LamiaReport.gr

Thursday morning June 4, 2026V Kέντρο Εκπαίδευσης Υλικού Πολέμου (Material support preparation centerКΕΥΠ) in Lamia profit 72 womenwho will serve as volunteers in the army. This is reported by LamiaReportwhich also published video and photos from the scene.

The program is open to women aged from 20 to 26 years old and provides 12 months voluntary service V Ground forces. According to Kathimerinithe training center in Lamia was specially prepared to receive female volunteers.

First stage of preparation

New volunteers will remain in KΕΥP Lamia by about 10 weeks. During this period, they will undergo the first stage of training, including basic military training and basic combat training. Going forward, authorities must evaluate the results of the pilot program and decide whether it will be expanded.

According to Greek media, it was initially envisaged 100 seatsand the total number of applications was about 180. As a result, the first group consisted of 72 women. The numbers, of course, do not look like a revolution with drums and fanfare, but for a system that has been moving on this issue for decades at the speed of an old army printer, this is still a noticeable step.

What do program participants receive?

Authorities are promoting the program not only as a military service, but also as a career opportunity. Against the backdrop of the Greek labor market, where young people are often offered enthusiasm instead of normal prospects, the list of incentives looks quite practical.

Among the provided benefits:

• counting service time as length of service;
• extra points in competitions ΑΣΕΠ for public sector recruitment;
• extra points when applying for positions ΕΠΟΠ – professional soldiers;
• priority when hiring graduates for civilian personnel positions in the Armed Forces, including nurses, educators, administrative employees and other specialties;
• access to some of the benefits enjoyed by Armed Forces personnel, including military hospitals, clubs and social structures.

ERT also notes that program participants will be able to use the service as an experience that provides professional and administrative advantages in future employment.

“I wanted this since childhood”

One of the new recruits Fotini Theopistitold Greek media that the army had been her dream since childhood. According to her, she is supported by her husband, who is himself a military man. She admitted that she does not experience much stress, but she has many questions about the new stage of her life.

This detail clearly shows that for some of the participants the program is not just a bureaucratic experiment. This is an opportunity for them to enter a system that previously remained virtually closed to this form of women’s service.

Pilot project and big questions

The legal possibility of voluntary service for women in Greece has existed for a long time, but in fact the program is only now being launched – as part of a broader agenda for the modernization of the Armed Forces. The Star notes that the corresponding legislative option has existed since 1979but in practice it began to be used only now, in the context of reforms “Ατζέντα 2030” Ministry of National Defense of Greece, TV channel reports Star.

The question now is not only how many women will want to serve, but also what real prospects will open up for them after it. If volunteer service becomes a working bridge to a military or civilian career, the program can grow. If it remains a beautiful presentation with photographs and temporary bonuses, enthusiasm will quickly run into the usual wall of Greek bureaucracy.

Editorial comment

The appearance of the first female volunteers in the Greek army is a symbolic event, but not only symbolic. Behind it is an attempt to combine military reform, the personnel needs of the army and real career incentives for young women.

But here it is important not to turn the program into another beautiful showcase. If the state really wants to increase women’s participation in the military, it will have to provide not only uniforms, photos and ceremonial statements, but also normal conditions of service, transparent promotion rules and a fair connection between voluntary service and future careers.

This is a pilot project for now. Its success will be measured not by how many beautiful shots will be shown on the day of arrival, but by how many participants a year later will be able to say that the service gave them a real opportunity, and not just another line on their resume and a couple of months of barracks romance, which is usually better remembered after dismissal.

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