Filenews 18 February 2026
The Council of Ministers decides today to change the Contracted Soldiers of the National Guard.
At the beginning of the session of the body, President Christodoulides announced the following:
"Strengthening the deterrent power of our country, as we have proven in practice from the first moment, is a top priority. And I had said on many occasions that this reinforcement starts primarily from the human resources of the National Guard.
And I am glad today because after a great effort we decide especially in relation to the contract citizens,
First, the increase of the retirement age from 42 to 57 years,
Second, the increase of the recruitment limit for someone to be able to claim a SYOP position from 27 to 35,
Thirdly, it was a constant request in all the visits I had made to the camps, to institutionalize a meritocratic process for the transformation of our SYOPs into contracted non-commissioned officers, after written exams, so that they can reach the rank of sergeant chief.
Fourth, we are increasing the monthly allowance of SYOPs from 100 to 150 euros and from 200 to 250 euros for those serving in the LOKs, OUKs, demining departments and nurses."
As President Christodoulides noted, the possibility of making decisions like today's arises "through the development of the economy", so that "we can invest in other areas in education, health, in strengthening the defense and security of our country".
Concluding, he stressed that "this is another example that our responsible economic policy allows us to proceed with such important decisions."
