WThe Cypriot National Guard employs several armoured vehicles in its operations.
WThe Chief of the National Guard General Staff is the professional head of the Cypriot National Guard. He is responsible for the administration and the operational control of the Cypriot military. Due to the close links between the Republic of Cyprus and Greece, the office is always filled by a retired lieutenant general of the Hellenic Army. The current Chief of the National Guard is Lieutenant General Ilias Leontaris.
WThe National Guard of Cyprus also known as the Greek Cypriot National Guard or simply National Guard, is the joint arms military force of the Republic of Cyprus. This force consists of air, land, sea and special forces elements, and is highly integrated with its first and second line reserves, as well as supporting civilian agencies and paramilitary forces.
WThe Cyprus National Guard is a combined arms force and represents the organised air, land and sea capabilities of the Republic of Cyprus. Equipment has in the past, and usually still is, imported from other countries, since the country has only very limited heavy industrial and commercial industrial capacity due to its small population and land mass. The role of maintaining, upgrading and modifying military equipment is primarily the task of the National Guard Technical Corps, though more complex activities rely upon the availability of civil contracts.
WThe Hellenic (Greek) Force in Cyprus, commonly known in its abbreviated form as ELDYK or EL.DY.K. is the permanent, regiment-sized Greek military force stationed in the Republic of Cyprus. Its role is to help and support the Cypriot National Guard. Soldiers are selected from the ranks of conscripts doing their military service in the Greek army.
WThe Security Forces Command is the military and security force of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
WThe Turkish military forces in Northern Cyprus, officially Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command is the Turkish garrison on Cyprus. In 1974 Turkish troops invaded Cyprus following a Greek Cypriot coup d'état which wanted to force union with Greece, occupying the northern third of the island. The invasion force, which consisted of about 40,000 soldiers and 200 tanks, subsequently was reduced to a garrison of 17,000 troops. It outnumbers the Greek military contingent on the island, which is supplemented by the Greek Cypriot National Guard consisting of 12,000 active and 75,000 reserves. Air reinforcement of the Turkish troops can be effected, if necessary, within hours.