ATHENS – Already planning to add to its arsenal amid worries of a conflict with Turkey over seas disputes, Greece's New Democracy government said another 516 students will be admitted to the military academies in 2021 as part of plans to ramp up the Armed Services.

Another 1,600 non-commissioned officers and 1,000 re-enlisting privates will be added as well although there is mandatory service that celebrities and the privileged sometimes manage to avoid.

Prime e Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) in September his intention to recruit more staff for the military.

Greece has some 200,000 active personnel in the armed forces and 550,000 on reserve although there are nearly 2.1 million males over 18 considered fit to serve if required.