Pro-Government Militias
Gladio (Greece)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 125 |
| Country: | Greece |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1955 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The group in Greece was set up in the 1950s by the CIA with the involvement of the Greek military. |
| Date dissolved: | Jan. 1, 1988 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | year |
| Details of Termination: | Gladio in Greece was dismantled in 1988. |
| Termination Type(s): | none |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | unclear (type 1 or 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | person/minister |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | military; Foreign government |
| State Sponsor(s): | United States |
| Other Connection(s): | NATO |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | no information |
| Primary Membership: | noncivilian |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | None |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 3500] |
| Target(s): | foreign military |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; protect national borders and integrity; self-defense and security |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The group was set up a as a secret Cold War guerrilla army in 1955. The network of groups may have some semi-official status within the intelligence community. But this group was hidden even from some domestic governments and prime ministers. The groups were ultimately answerable to NATO-CIA rather than to domestic governments in event of attack by Warsaw Pact. In Greece, the PGM was involved in the Colonels’ coup in 1967. Its codename was “Sheepskin”. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was intended as a fighting force prepared to counter a possible Warsaw Pact invasion. In this case, it was meant to conduct guerilla warfare and sabotage activities. In Greece the PGM focused particularly on internal targets, with the goal of countering a potential left-wing subversion. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization; deniability of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group trained with the US Green Berets, CIA and the British Special Air Services (SAS) and was equipped from underground arms caches. The CIA also provided weapons. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The PGM was coordinated by NATO and run by military secret services in close cooperation with the CIA and British Secret Intelligence Service. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.