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Evangelos Apostolakis
Evangelos Apostolakis
	Admiral Apostolakis in 2018
Minister of National Defence
	In office; 15 January 2019 – 9 July 2019
President	Prokopis Pavlopoulos
Prime Minister	Alexis Tsipras
Preceded by	Panos Kammenos
Succeeded by	Nikos Panagiotopoulos
Personal details
Born	May 14 1957 (age 67); Rethymno, Crete
Military service
Allegiance	Greece
Branch/service	Hellenic Navy
Years of service	1976−2019
Rank	Admiral
Commands	Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff; Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff; Commander of the Underwater Demolition Command (DYK)

Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis (Greek: Ευάγγελος Αποστολάκης) is a Greek naval officer. After leading the Hellenic Navy General Staff in 2013–2015, he served as the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff until 14 January 2019, and then, until 9 July 2019, as the Minister of National Defence of Greece.

He was elected to the Greek Parliament on the nationwide list for Syriza both in May and June 2023 Greek legislative elections. On 28 November 2024 he left the party and became independent.^[1]

Career

He was born in Rethymno on 14 May 1957. Entered the Hellenic Navy Academy in 1976 and graduated in 1980 as a Line Ensign.^[2] He has served in a succession of command and staff positions aboard ships, and senior staff positions in the Hellenic Navy and NATO, as well as completing the Underwater Demolition School of the Hellenic Navy's elite Underwater Demolition Command (DYK), which he later commanded, the Advanced Mine Warfare School in Belgium and the US Amphibious Warfare School.^[2]

On 7 March 2013, the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA) appointed him to the post of Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff.^[2] On 20 August 2015, KYSEA selected him as the successor of General Michail Kostarakos as Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, promoting him to full Admiral. The order took effect on 15 September.^[2]^[3]

Following the resignation of Minister of National Defence Panos Kammenos on 13 January 2019, Apostolakis was named as his successor by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.^[4] He was placed into retirement and immediately sworn in as Minister of National Defence on 14 January, with the official hand-over scheduled for 15 January.^[5] Until the appointment of a new Chief of the HNDGS by KYSEA, the Deputy Chief, Lt. General Konstantinos Floros, was named acting Chief.^[5]

Greece–Turkey relations

In December 2018, Apostolakis was quoted at meeting with defence ministry correspondents as saying, "If the Turks land on a Greek rock islet we will flatten it." He also stated that efforts were focused on avoiding a military conflict with Turkey.^[6]^[7]

Dates of rank

Ensign	1980
Sub-Lieutenant	1983
Lieutenant	1987
Lieutenant Commander	1992
Commander	1997
Captain	2004
Commodore	2009
Rear Admiral	2011
Vice Admiral	2012
Admiral	2015

Awards

Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece)
Commander of the Order of Honour (Greece)
Commander of the National Order of Merit (France)^[8]
Knights Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany^[9]

References

^ Evangelos Apostolakis also left SYRIZA!
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Vice Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis HN". Hellenic Navy. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
^ "Νέος αρχηγός ΓΕΕΘΑ ο αντιναύαρχος Ευάγγελος Αποστολάκης" (in Greek). in.gr. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
^ "Νέος υπουργός Εθνικής Άμυνας ο Αρχηγός ΓΕΕΘΑ, Ευάγγελος Αποστολάκης" (in Greek). CNN Greece. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Ορκίστηκε ο νέος υπουργός Εθνικής Άμυνας" (in Greek). in.gr. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
^ "Spike in tension after tit-for-tat statements by Turkish DM, Greek military chief". Naftemporiki. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
^ "Armed Forces Chief: If Turks land on an islet 'we will flatten it'". Kathimerini. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
^ "Décoration de l'Amiral Evangelos Apostolakis et du vice-amiral Velissarios Pappas" (in French). 2 February 2016.
^ "Griechischer Generalstabschef erhält Bundesverdienstkreuz" (in German). 10 November 2017.

External links

Media related to Evangelos Apostolakis at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Panos Kammenos	Minister of National Defence 15 January – 9 July 2019	Succeeded by Nikos Panagiotopoulos
Military offices
Preceded by Vice Admiral Kosmas Christidis	Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff 7 March 2013 – 15 September 2015	Succeeded by Vice Admiral Georgios Giakoumakis
Preceded by General Michail Kostarakos	Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff 15 September 2015 – 14 January 2019	Succeeded by Lt. General Konstantinos Floros (acting)