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Cypriot National Guard
Current ComponentsLandThe land forces of the Cypriot National Guard comprise the following units:
Air
Sea
Current Senior officers
Current Equipment of the Cyprus National GuardCreation of the Cyprus National GuardThe General Staff of the Cyprus National Guard in known domestically by its Greek designation "????", or transliterated in the Latin alphabet as "GEEF". The full name is "?????? ????????? ??????? ???????" which translates in English as "GENERAL STAFF OF THE NATIONAL GUARD". This name was assigned to the General Staff Headquarters organisation that commanded the National Guard in 1964, before which time and since 1963, the organisation had been briefly designated "?????? ????? ????????? ??????" (????), or translated in English as "Special Mixed Staff Cyprus" (EMEK). The formation of GEEF in 1964 coincides directly with the establishment of purely Greek Cypriot ethnicity National Guard, following the outbreak of nationwide civil disturbances between Greek and Turkish Cypriot groups. Thus, as of 1964, the Turkish Cypriot minority were forced to abandon the original provisions to them of Article 129 - 132 of the 1960 Constitution, and withdrew any further participation in the National Guard, to which they had been entitled 40% of the total manpower, i.e. 2000 men. The GEEF was made constitutional in July 1964 by vote of the Cypriot Parliament, from which the Turkish Cypriot Vice President (along with his right of veto) and the Turkish Cypriot senators were removed, by which time the country had begun to slide into a total socio-political breakdown along ethnic lines. ConscriptionMilitary service in the Republic of Cyprus is mandatory for males. The minimum obligatory service period is 25 months.[1] All male visitors to the island of military age (16 and over) who have a father of Cypriot extraction are required to obtain an exit visa from a Defence Ministry office. Ethnic composition the Cyprus National GuardCurrently, only Cypriots officially resident on the island and belonging to the Greek Cypriot community serve in the Cyprus National Guard. The Greek Cypriot community comprises the ethnic Greek Cypriots as well as Cypriots belonging to three Christian religious minorities (Latin/Catholic, Maronite, Armenian). Starting 2008, service is mandatory for all members of the Greek Cypriot community and not only for ethnic Greek Cypriots, as was the case before. For the purposes of conscription, a member of the Greek Cypriot community is defined as a person having a Greek-Cypriot father. This definition includes for example British nationals of Greek-Cypriot descent who never applied for, or otherwise obtained, Cypriot citizenship. Citizens of the Republic of Cyprus belonging to the Turkish Cypriot community are not drafted into the National Guard regardless of whether they reside in the areas controlled by the government or not. In fact, no Turkish Cypriots are currently serving in its ranks in any capacity (career personnel, auxiliary personnel etc.). On the other hand, a significant fraction of the career personnel are citizens of Greece. The current Supreme Commander is a Greek citizen, as have been all of his predecessors. Original Components of the Cyprus National Guard from 1964 until the 1974 InvasionLand
Air
Navy and Coast GuardThe Cyprus Navy is equipped with CNV P-190 fast patrol craft, Salamis class patrol craft, Kyrenia class patrol craft and SAB-12 fast attack craft. The Cyprus Coast Guard is equipped with CNV P-190 fast patrol craft, Evagoras class patrol craft, Kingfisher class fast patrol craft and Kimon class fast patrol craft. Both services also utilize Nautimar HD-7 and other types of dual-engine rigid-inflatable boats. The Cyprus Navy has a Special Forces underwater demolitions unit known as "OYK". Also the Navy has 3 Exocet MM40 launchers for coastal defence and 24 missiles in inventory. EquipmentThe United States has an arms embargo on any recent US weapons being used by either side. The Greek Cypriot side was recently criticised for breaching this embargo by acquiring M107, M110A2 and M114 howitzers (subsequently returned) from the Greek National Army. The Turkish occupation force, which controls approximately 37% of the island, has also been heavily criticised for numerous breaches of the embargo as 95% of its military hardware is of US origin (still not returned) compared to 3-5% of the Republic. Standard infantry equipment used in Cyprus is the Heckler & Koch G3 and the AK-74 automatic rifles, both by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Forces. Equipment of the Cyprus National Guard 1964 - 1974
Land ForcesMain Battle Tanks
Armoured Fighting Vehicles Armoured Personnel Carriers
Armoured Trucks Soft-Skin Vehicles
Field Artillery Guns / Anti-Tank Guns
Field Anti-Tank Rifles / Rocket Launchers Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Man-Portable Anti-Tank Unguided Weapon
Air ForceHelicopter Fixed Wing
Navy Force
Equipment of the Cyprus National Guard 1974 - 1994
Land ForcesMain Battle Tanks Armoured Fighting Vehicles Field Artillery Guns / Anti-Tank Guns
Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Man-Portable Surface-to-Air Missiles Air ForceHelicopter Fixed Wing Equipment of the Cyprus National Guard 1994 - 2004
Land ForcesMain Battle Tanks Infantry Fighting Vehicles Armoured Personnel Carriers Field Artillery Guns / Anti-Tank Guns
Rocket Launcher System Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM) Air ForceHelicopter
Unamned Air Vehicles (UAV) Navy ForceAnti-Ship Missiles Infantry WeaponsPistolsCombat Actions1963-1964Significant combat actions were seen between the Cyprus National Guard and Turkish Cypriot combatants during this period, as the country slid into a state of civil-war. 1964-1974Sporadic low-intensity conflict continued during parts of this period between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot armed elements across the island. 1974The Cyprus National Guard, under control of an Athens-inspired junta, seize control of the country in a short-lived coup, beginning on July 15 1974. High intensity combat commences between the Cyprus National Guard and pro-Makarios supporters (including the Tactical Police Reserve). Consequently on July 20 1974, Turkey launches an invasion of the island, which is intensively resisted by the Cyprus National Guard and virtually all Greek Cypriot elements for a period of roughly one month. Ultimately, Turkish forces successfully captured and occupied 37% of the island. 1978On the 19 February 1978, Egyptian commando forces attempted to intervene in a hijacking situation at Larnaca International Airport, without authorization from the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The Cypriot National Guard and Police forces surrounding the hijacked DC-8 aircraft responded with force, killing 15 Egyptian commandos and destroying the Egyptian C-130 transport plane in open combat. The result of the incident caused Egypt to severe diplomatic ties with Cyprus for a period of time. SourcesCreation of National Guard Order of Battle
Armaments
Combat Actions
See also
ReferencesExternal links
bg:????????? ???? ?? ????? el:??????? ??? ?????? hu:Ciprus hadereje pl:Si?y zbrojne Cypru Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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