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ARMENIAN ARMY: MEAT FOR CANNONS OR HISTORY?
Haik Aramyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/country/view/28736
13:07 28/01/2013
A day to go before the Army Day the senior sergeant was killed by his
fellow conscript. There have already been several non-combat deaths
over the past month. Despite the pledges of the army leadership, the
"meat grinder" would not stop.
The authorities claim that the Armenian army leads in the South
Caucasus by its combat readiness. It may be so if we compare our
army with the armies of Azerbaijan and Georgia. However, the armies
of these two states have proved in action that they do not exist. And
comparison with them is just a consolation and a device of propaganda
used to cover up the plight in the Armenian army.
Army requires endeavor, efforts for progress and improvement, not
comparison. Considering the serious demographic and economic problems
of Armenia, the Armenian army needs fundamental reforms. Even Russia
already gives up the methodology of mass army of Soviet type. This
type of army was meat for cannons. It was apparent in Afghanistan
and Chechnya.
The Armenian army has inherited all the vices of the soviet army,
including hazing, corruption, methodology of combat readiness.
However, while the Soviet army had sufficient human and material
resource, Armenia lacks it.
The Armenian army has a serious mission in the modern world. Evidence
is the attention of the international community to the Armenian army.
The Armenian government also seems to have understood it, and one
of Serzh Sargsyan's recent speeches was devoted to this. However,
awareness is one thing, and fighting the temptation of using the army
for other purposes is something else.
Meanwhile, all the governments of Armenia have been tempted to use
army in internal affairs to reinforce the criminal oligarchic system.
Serzh Sargsyan has even gone further and established the "right"
to use army in internal affairs.
However, the breakup of the main mission of the Armenian army and
the goals of the authorities has led to irreversible consequences.
Armenia's partners are interested in the Armenian army considering the
upcoming stage of global change. The Armenian army gets considerable
international material and other support. In the context of the
"second generation" reforms the army reforms are an urgent requirement.
The ex-foreign minister Vartan Oskanian who was preparing for a
broader role, devoted one of his speeches to the army where army
was listed among the main obstacles to Armenian reforms. Since then
steps have been taken to remove from the army most odious and corrupt
"field" generals. However, this process is slow as a very small part
of new officers trained abroad are involved in the army. Corrupt
high-ranking officials continue to rule in the army. They use the
army resource for personal aims, from calories stolen from soldiers'
diets to use of army resource and troops for their own purposes.
With the current criminal and oligarchic system it is impossible
to consider combat readiness and missions. Modern and mobile armed
forces can fulfill such missions. An appropriate economy and political
system are required to have and support such armed forces. The current
economic and political system is unable to resolve such issues.
Haik Aramyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/country/view/28736
13:07 28/01/2013
A day to go before the Army Day the senior sergeant was killed by his
fellow conscript. There have already been several non-combat deaths
over the past month. Despite the pledges of the army leadership, the
"meat grinder" would not stop.
The authorities claim that the Armenian army leads in the South
Caucasus by its combat readiness. It may be so if we compare our
army with the armies of Azerbaijan and Georgia. However, the armies
of these two states have proved in action that they do not exist. And
comparison with them is just a consolation and a device of propaganda
used to cover up the plight in the Armenian army.
Army requires endeavor, efforts for progress and improvement, not
comparison. Considering the serious demographic and economic problems
of Armenia, the Armenian army needs fundamental reforms. Even Russia
already gives up the methodology of mass army of Soviet type. This
type of army was meat for cannons. It was apparent in Afghanistan
and Chechnya.
The Armenian army has inherited all the vices of the soviet army,
including hazing, corruption, methodology of combat readiness.
However, while the Soviet army had sufficient human and material
resource, Armenia lacks it.
The Armenian army has a serious mission in the modern world. Evidence
is the attention of the international community to the Armenian army.
The Armenian government also seems to have understood it, and one
of Serzh Sargsyan's recent speeches was devoted to this. However,
awareness is one thing, and fighting the temptation of using the army
for other purposes is something else.
Meanwhile, all the governments of Armenia have been tempted to use
army in internal affairs to reinforce the criminal oligarchic system.
Serzh Sargsyan has even gone further and established the "right"
to use army in internal affairs.
However, the breakup of the main mission of the Armenian army and
the goals of the authorities has led to irreversible consequences.
Armenia's partners are interested in the Armenian army considering the
upcoming stage of global change. The Armenian army gets considerable
international material and other support. In the context of the
"second generation" reforms the army reforms are an urgent requirement.
The ex-foreign minister Vartan Oskanian who was preparing for a
broader role, devoted one of his speeches to the army where army
was listed among the main obstacles to Armenian reforms. Since then
steps have been taken to remove from the army most odious and corrupt
"field" generals. However, this process is slow as a very small part
of new officers trained abroad are involved in the army. Corrupt
high-ranking officials continue to rule in the army. They use the
army resource for personal aims, from calories stolen from soldiers'
diets to use of army resource and troops for their own purposes.
With the current criminal and oligarchic system it is impossible
to consider combat readiness and missions. Modern and mobile armed
forces can fulfill such missions. An appropriate economy and political
system are required to have and support such armed forces. The current
economic and political system is unable to resolve such issues.