Theodoros Degiannis

Theodoros Degiannis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Ντεγιάννης, 1926–2006) was a Greek admiral and chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff. He also served as the Minister of National Defence in the Caretaker Cabinet of Ioannis Grivas and in the Ecumenical Cabinet of Xenophon Zolotas.

He was born in 1926 in Euboea. In 1948 he graduated from the Hellenic Naval Academy and later continued his studies in other academies, including taking the Senior Officers' War Course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. During the Greek military junta of 1967–74, he was opposed to the regime, like many Navy officers. In 1977 he was promoted to Vice Admiral. In January 1982 he was appointed as chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff by the government of Andreas Papandreou, as he was one of the officers considered most trustworthy by the newly elected government of PASOK. He held the post until December 1984.

In October 1989 he became Minister for National Defence in the Caretaker Cabinet of Ioannis Grivas. In February 1990 he became again Minister in the Ecumenical Cabinet of Xenophon Zolotas after a Cabinet reshuffle in 13 February 1990.

His brother was Ioannis Degiannis, the presiding judge at the Greek Junta Trials and member of parliament with PASOK. He died in 2006.^[1]

References

Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff
Papagos Grigoropoulos Kitrilakis Dovas Frontistis Pipilis Tsolakas Avgeris Angelis§ Zagorianakos§ Bonanos§ Arbouzis§ Davos§ Gratzios Degiannis Kouris Vellidis Veryvakis Skarvelis Lymberis Tzoganis Paragioudakis Antonakopoulos Chinofotis Grapsas Giangos Kostarakos Apostolakis
§ Under the title "Chief of the Armed Forces"