Lt General Ilias Leontaris

Upon the decision made by the Cyprus Republic’s Council of Ministers on March 31, 2017 Lt. General Ilias Leontaris took over as Chief of General Staff of National Guard.

Lieutenant General Ilias Leontaris was born in Pournari - Domokos, Greece.

He entered the Hellenic Military Academy in 1977 and graduated in 1981 as an Infantry Second Lieutenant.

He has successfully completed all Infantry courses and he graduated the Greek Army War College and the National Defence College. Furthermore he has attended the Greek Military Police Officers, the Joint Electronic Warfare and the Strategic Intelligence Courses. Also, he has attended the US Army Military Police Officers and the US Army Instructors Training courses, in Fort McClelan, AL as well as various NATO courses, in Germany. Lt General Leontaris holds a Master Degree in Strategic and Diplomatic Studies and he is a CFE Treaty qualified Inspector.

As junior officer, he served as Platoon Leader and Company Commander in various Infantry Units and Formations, including the Hellenic Force in Cyprus and the Army Military Police. As senior officer, he commanded the 566th Mechanized Infantry Battalion and served as Staff Officer at the 98th Infantry Division and the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, as Chief Logistic Programs & Support section to NATO HQs AFSOUTH, in Naples, as Logistics Support Coordinator at the 3rd Army Corps/NATO Deployable Corps-GRC and as Defense Attaché at the Embassy of Greece, in Washington DC, USA.

As general officer, he assumed the command of the 31st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the Hellenic Military Academy, the 3rd Army Corps, the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps HQs, Greece (HQs NRDC GR), the 1st Hellenic Army/EL EU OHQ. He assumed duties as Chief of Staff of the HQs NRDC GR and was assigned Director of the Doctrine Directorate at the Hellenic Army General Staff.

He has been awarded with all national medals-decorations of his rank as well as with NATO medals for his services in Peace Support Operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina (SFOR), in the former Yugoslavia (KFOR) and in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. He has also been decorated with the USA Legion of Merit Medal, the Medal of Defence Forces of Armenia, the Joint Commendation Medal of the General Defense Staff of Italy and the CISM Order of Merit.