General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Michail Kostarakos ( el, Μιχαήλ Κωσταράκος, February 1956 – 2 June 2023) was a

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...

officer who served as Chief of the

Hellenic National Defence General Staff The Hellenic National Defence General Staff ( el, Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας, abbr. ΓΕΕΘΑ) is the senior staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces. It was established in 1950, when the separate armed services ministr ...

in 2011–2015 and as Chairman of the

European Union Military Committee The Military Committee of the European Union (EUMC) is the body of the European Union's (EU) Common Security and Defence Policy that is composed of member states' Chiefs of Defence (CHOD). These national CHODs are regularly represented in the EUM ...

in 2015–2018.

Life and career

Michail Kostarakos was born in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

in February 1956. He was the son of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Dimitrios Kostarakos, who fought in the last battles of the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...

and in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He completed his school studies in the

University of Thessaloniki A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

's Experimental School, before enrolling in the

Hellenic Military Academy The Hellenic Army Academy ( el, Στρατιωτική Σχολή Ευελπίδων), commonly known as the Evelpidon, is a military academy. It is the Officer cadet school of the Greek Army and the oldest third-level educational institution in G ...

in 1974, from which he graduated in 1978 as a Second Lieutenant of

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. Kostarakos served in various posts in both field and especially anti-aircraft artillery (the MIM-23 Hawk system), attended various schools and academies (including the US Army's Hawk course at

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, Ft. Bliss h ...

), as well as in senior staff positions in NATO's International Military Staff, the KFOR's Joint Operation Center, and Greece's NDC-GR. As a field officer (Brigadier General in 2006), he commanded the 96th National Guard Higher Command at

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of masti ...

, the 3rd Bureau and the Operations Command of the

Hellenic Army General Staff The Hellenic Army General Staff ( el, Γενικό Επιτελείο Στρατού, abbrev. ΓΕΣ) is the general staff of the Hellenic Army, the terrestrial component of the Greek Armed Forces. It was established in 1904. Since 1950, the HAGS ...

, the 12th Mechanized Infantry Division, and finally the III Army Corps/NDC-GR, before being promoted to full General and assuming the post of Chief of the

on 1 November 2011. On 13 November 2014, he was elected as the next Chairman of the

, with a three-year tenure starting from November 2015. Kostarakos was awarded several distinctions, including the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix, the Grand Commander of the Order of Honour, the

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

n Medal for Military Co-operation, and the

NATO Medal The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is manufactured by Eekelers-Centini Intl, of Hemiksem, Belgium. ...

for the Balkans. General Kostarakos was married and had two daughters. He also spoke English and French, completed a graduate degree in the Law School of the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

, and held a post-graduate degree in Diplomatic and Strategic Studies. On 20 August 2015, the

Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence The National Security Governmental Council ( el, Κυβερνητικό Συμβούλιο Εθνικής Ασφαλείας) (ex. Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence), usually known by its acronym KYSEA (ΚΥΣΕΑ), is the supreme d ...

decided the retirement of Kostarakos and his replacement with the hitherto Chief of the

Hellenic Navy General Staff The Hellenic Navy General Staff ( el, Γενικό Επιτελείο Ναυτικού, abbr. ΓΕΝ) is the general staff of the Hellenic Navy, the naval component of the Greek Armed Forces. It is headed by the Chief of the Navy General Staff, cu ...

, Vice Admiral

Evangelos Apostolakis Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis ( el, Ευάγγελος Αποστολάκης) is a Greek naval officer. After leading the Hellenic Navy General Staff in 2013–2015, he served as the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff until 1 ...

, taking effect on 15 September. Kostarakos was immediately recalled to active duty pending his assumption of the post of Chairman of the European Union Military Committee, which took place on 6 November 2015. Kostarakos died on 2 June 2023, at the age of 67.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostarakos, Michail 1956 births 2023 deaths Military personnel from Thessaloniki Hellenic Army generals Grand Crosses of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff 20th-century Greek military personnel 21st-century Greek military personnel Chairmen of the European Union Military Committee Greek officials of the European Union