Armenian Army celebrates 23rd anniversary – Generals on military’s achievements and failures
January 28 marks the Day of the Armenian Army. The national armed forces’ foundations were laid in 1992 when the country was leading a battle for the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). Twenty-year after its establishment, the military still has certain shortcomings, and nevertheless, it is efficient enough to ensure the protection of the country’s borders. For a detailed outlook on the national army’s accomplishments and failures, Tert.am has talked to veteran heroes of the Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Congratulating the Armed Forces on their professional holiday, Major-General Felix Gzoghyan wished the Armenian army a serene sky, stressing the importance of consolidated efforts towards fightuing the continuing border tensions and resisting the challenges.
“Our army’s efficiency is very high today - as it was several years ago. We have very good supreme commanders who always keep the army efficiency on a high level. May the sky be serene and may our soldier and nation always live in peace,” he said, remembering the heroes killed in the national liberation fight.
The major general said he is confident that the Armenian soldier is now as powerful today as he was in the 1990s harsh battle to repress the enemy.
“We are very sorry that our children are killed, but that’s for the protection of our nation and our borders’ defense. People defended borders in the Soviet times too; so they do now. Nowadays, however, they protect our nation,” he added.
Major-General Astvatsatur Petrosyan also agreed that the national army has enhanced its efficiency, raising the personnel’s professional level.
“As Minister [of Defense Seyran Ohanyan] says, we really need a literate officer; hence it is very important to break the image of the one embodying viciousness. We now have a complement of officers trained in different countries, and soldiers who are intellectually more developed, but the development of a mobile army is still a problem,” he added.
Petrosyan said he knows that the Armenian Army now has special-task detachments and professional servicemen powerful enough to lead a battle against an entire town or division.
“The Armenian soldier’s wit is not to be replaced, so it is necessary for us to further strengthen our borders. But that first of all requires a political process that could help withdraw the unnecessary forces deployed along the border. The new generation in the two countries - Armenia and Azerbaijan - has to sit around a table of negotiations with the adversary,” he added.
Commenting on the shortcomings, Petrosyan said he thinks that the problem stems partially from the society too. “The army is the artery of the entire nation. What we see among the people – including different behaviors and morals – exists also in the military. What has to be paid attention to is the ideological upbringing of both the complement of officers and the soldiers. It is a difficult task, but we must do our best to have an educated soldier returning home after two years of service,” he added.
Major General Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan (aka Komandos) compared the Armenian Army with a military vehicle which he said must be the pride of the each and every person.
“Though the Azerbaijanis have many weapons, they do not have the same fighting spirit as we do. Our guys today know their elder generation has won, but what the adversary’s generations know is that their elders escaped the battlefield. What spirit can they have? Arms and ammunition are nothing if their combat-readiness is on a zero-level,” he added.
Admitting that illicit morals often penetrate into the military too, the legendary war veteran noted that the incidents have essentially decreased in number in the recent years.
“Our army’s leadership spares no effort for that; it's very complicated work. But I have to say that the problem is even greater in the Azerbaijani army, as we are a mono-ethnic nation, having fewer foreigners in the military, while in Azerbaijan, 60% or more [of the armed forces] are representatives of foreign nations,” he added.
“But our army has become open in the recent years. In the past, parents never knew what was going on in military, but today, soldiers have their commanders’ phone numbers, so whenever anything happens, they may immediately contact them to have the problem solved. We have to nonetheless upgrade the human relations to an appropriate level to make every soldier feel the important role he plays for the fatherland’s protection,” he added.
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