Michael Kostarakos

General Michail Kostarakos (, February 1956 – 2 June 2023) was a Hellenic Army officer who served as Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff in 2011–2015 and as Chairman of the European Union Military Committee in 2015–2018.

Life and career Michail Kostarakos was born in Thessaloniki in February 1956. He was the son of Major General Dimitrios Kostarakos, who fought in the last battles of the Greek Civil War and in the Korean War. He completed his school studies in the University of Thessaloniki's Experimental School, before enrolling in the Hellenic Military Academy in 1974, from which he graduated in 1978 as a Second Lieutenant of Artillery. 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), as well as in senior staff positions in NATO's International Military Staff, the KFOR's Joint Operation Center, and Greece's NDC-GR.

Kostarakos was awarded several distinctions, including the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix, the Grand Commander of the Order of Honour, the Armenian Medal for Military Co-operation, and the NATO Medal for the Balkans. which took place on 6 November 2015.

Kostarakos died on 2 June 2023, at the age of 67.