An announcement was issued by the Cyprus Army Officers Association (CAOA), regarding the promotions of Officers for 2020. The announcement confirms that the promotions will be carried out normally and do not fall into the category of the promotions freezing validated by the Council of Ministers in accordance with the plan to withhold expenses as compensation for the loss of government revenue.

The announcement of CAOA is as follows: 

The Cyprus Army Officers Association (CAOA) wishes to inform that the promotions of the Officers scheduled for 2020, will be carried out normally and do not fall into the category of promotions freezing for the State and the wider public sector as it was announced by the Ministry of Finance. 

The confirmation was made in the context of information from the Ministry of Defence and Chief of Defence, to the president of the Association in relevant meetings that took place in the Ministry of Defence and the National Guard General Staff (NGGS).

Regarding the issue of evaluations and promotions of the Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers of the Cyprus Army, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, Marinos Sizopoulos, stated on our webpage that all the positions examined at the meeting of the 2020 Defence Committee of the House of Representatives on May 07 have been released. Until the end of May, NGGS and the Ministry of Defence are expected to proceed and carry out the evaluations and then these promotions.

Also read: National Guard Officers Evaluations | Retirements followed by promotions

As we informed you on May 07, the Council of Ministers ratified the evaluations of the Officers of the rank of Colonel and Brigadier General. According to the evaluations, 2 Brigadier Generals and 13 Colonels were evaluated as to “successfully terminate their service” and be retired, while a number of others were evaluated as qualified for promotion. According to the Regulations on the Promotion of Officers, the evaluation for the Officers with the ranks of Colonel to Major General is carried out first and then the evaluations for all the other ranks follow. Based on the data so far, the following promotions are expected for Officers (in the Army, Navy and Air Force):

• 1 Rear Admiral
• 4 Brigadier Generals
• 19 Colonels (incl. corresponding ranks in Navy-Air Force) 
• 32 Lieutenant Colonels (incl. corresponding ranks in Navy-Air Force)
• 34 Majors (incl. corresponding ranks in Navy-Air Force)
• 36 Captains (incl. corresponding ranks in Navy-Air Force)
• 59* Lieutenants. (incl. corresponding ranks in Navy-Air Force) 

*The number may differ due to a smaller number of Officers eligible to be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant

Regarding the promotion of Non-Commissioned Officers, the issue is expected to be clarified within the next few days. 

The DEFENCE ReDEFiNED team is monitoring the issue and will keep you informed of all relevant developments.