Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus will increase the number of contract soldiers eligible for promotion to contract non-commissioned officer positions from 250 to 400, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas announced on Friday. The decision follows written examinations for the first group of contract soldiers seeking permanent appointment as contract NCOs.
Announcement and ceremony
Palmas made the announcement while receiving the examination results from Education Minister Athena Kyriakidou at a ceremony held at the defence ministry. The event was attended by members of the House defence committee and National Guard chief Lieutenant General Emmanuel Theodorou.
Reasons for the increase
Palmas said the increase reflected growing personnel needs within the National Guard and defence programmes linked to the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (Safe) mechanism. He said the decision was taken in consultation with the finance ministry and remained within the defence ministry’s approved budgetary framework.
He said the move was necessary because of the high level of interest shown by contract soldiers in the promotion process, the National Guard’s increasing need for NCO-level personnel, partly due to programmes underway through the Safe mechanism, and the state’s practical recognition of the contribution made by contract soldiers to the National Guard’s combat capability and operational readiness.
Support for personnel
Palmas said National Guard personnel were the spearhead and cornerstone of the armed forces and said efforts would continue to strengthen and support personnel, address the challenges they face and improve service conditions and the overall operational framework of the armed forces.
Future opportunities
Addressing candidates who did not achieve a qualifying score, Palmas said they should not lose confidence and noted that additional opportunities would become available when new permanent positions are announced.
He said this was the first opportunity given to the candidates and that there would be other opportunities in the future.
Eligibility and appointments
Palmas said that although 250 positions had originally been announced, discussions with the finance ministry enabled the number to be raised to 400.
The top 400 candidates based on examination scores will now be eligible for permanent appointment, allowing them to serve in the National Guard until the age of 57 with the rank of sergeant and potentially advance to the rank of staff sergeant.