Editing Cyprus (section)

===Military===
{{Main|Cypriot National Guard}}
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Cyprus 7 October 2010-2.jpeg|thumb|Welcoming ceremony of the former [[president of Russia|Russian president]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]] by the soldiers of the [[Cypriot National Guard]]]]

The [[Cypriot National Guard]] is the main military institution of the Republic of Cyprus. It is a [[combined arms]] force, with land, air and naval elements. Historically all male citizens were required to spend 24 months serving in the National Guard after their 17th birthday, but in 2016 this period of compulsory service was reduced to 14 months.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://greece.greekreporter.com/2016/07/15/cyprus-drastically-reduces-mandatory-army-service-to-14-months/ |title=Cyprus Drastically Reduces Mandatory Army Service to 14 Months |first=Kerry |last=Kolasa-Sikiaridi |date=15 July 2016
|website=GreekReporter.com |access-date=21 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713184252/http://greece.greekreporter.com/2016/07/15/cyprus-drastically-reduces-mandatory-army-service-to-14-months/ |archive-date=13 July 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Annually, approximately 10,000 persons are trained in recruit centres. Depending on their awarded speciality the conscript recruits are then transferred to speciality training camps or to operational units.

While until 2016 the armed forces were mainly conscript based, since then a large professional enlisted institution has been adopted (ΣΥΟΠ), which combined with the reduction of conscript service produces an approximate 3:1 ratio between conscript and professional enlisted.