Lt Gen Dimokritos Zervakis Chief , National Guard , Republic of Cyprus
Lt . Gen . Dimokritos Zervakis prior to his appointment as Chief of the Cypriot National Guard , was , for two years the Commander of the 1st Army / EU OHQ , Hellenic Army .
Lt . Gen . Zervakis was born in 1961 , in Mochos Heraklion , Crete . He graduated from the Hellenic Military Academy ( Evelpidon ) in 1983 and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the Artillery . He has successfully attended the Basic and Advanced Courses of the Hellenic Artillery School along with various other military schools including the Basic Parachutist Course . He is also a graduate of the Hellenic Army War College , the Hellenic National Defence College , the U . S . Artillery Basic Course and the U . S . Army Command and General Staff College .
He holds an International and European Studies Degree ( Panteion University GREECE ) and a Master of Arts Degree in Strategic Studies ( HULL University , UK ) ( Professor Colin Gray ) being a member of the IISS from 1997 to 2014 . Additionally , he has a Computer Analysis and Programming certificate from the Hellenic Center of Productivity ( ELKEPA ).
His service record includes assignments as a battery Commander , Battalion Executive Officer and Deputy Battalion Commander in various Artillery units and as a instructor and staff officer at the Research and Development Department of the Hellenic Artillery School . He has commanded the 194 MLRS ( as his first Commander achieving operational capability ) and the 156 Self Propelled 155mm PzH units . He has also served from 1993 to 1994 , in the UNIKOM mission in Kuwait-Iraq as a Military Observer and Personnel Staff Officer . Serving as a staff officer in the Hellenic Military Representation to the EUMC , from 2002 to 2005 , he was a member of the one-year Hellenic Presidency in CSDP . During that period , he was the staff officer on Concept Development and Operations , working among other on EU Common ESDP Training , Rapid Response ( Battlegroups ) and Capability Development . From 2007 to 2009 , he served as Director of the Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff Office and from 2010 to 2012 , as Director of the Defence Policy Directorate of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff . From 2012 to 2014 , he commanded the 96th National Guard Brigade Level Command ( CHIOS ). From 2014 to 2016 he assumed , as Major General , for 2 years the duties of Chief of Staff of the National Guard General Staff of the Republic of Cyprus . This was followed by his posting as Director , of the Artillery Directorate of the Hellenic Army General Staff . From 2017 and for 2 years , upon decision of the Governmental Council for Foreign and Defense Affairs , he was the Commanding General of the 1st Hellenic Army / EU-OHQ . In 2018 , he was appointed by the EU and served as Operational Commander during the EU Hybrid Exercise Multilayer 18 ( Parallel and Coordinated Exercise ).
Lieutenant General Dimokritos Zervakis , has been awarded with all the Hellenic commendations and medals provided for his duties , including Grand Commander of the Order of Honour , Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix and the Medal of 1st Class Military Merit . He has also been awarded with the United Nations Medal , the medal of the National Guard of the Republic of Cyprus , as well as the Silver Medal for National Defense of the Defense Ministry and the Medal of the Order of the National Merit , of the French Republic .
He speaks English and French . Lieutenant General Dimokritos Zervakis is married and has two daughters .