“OUR RESISTANCE CAPACITY IS VERY BIG”

An interview with the Ministry of Defense’ head of the Conscription and Mobilization Service Col. ARMEN AVTANDILYAN

– Mr. Colonel, this summer conscription of 2021 is the second conscription after the last 44-day war. What are the difficulties related to the post-war realities and developments, which, in my opinion, are inevitable, regardless of the outcome of the war?

– As surprising as it may seem, during the “previous” and “current” conscriptions, we have not registered any post-war complex related to the replenishment of the army. There has not been a single case when a conscript did not report to the territorial unit on our first call. Conscripts and their parents are highly aware of their civic duty to join the army.

– The service you lead is the mediating link in the society-army relations. Do you have close contacts with the people, is the psychological decline very noticeable?

– In honor of our people, we must state that he has a great will and determination to unite in a moment of difficulty and to fight against the danger hanging over the nation. We have overcome much harder trials, we have not broken, we have not laid down our arms. It is not so easy to oppress us, our resistance to fate is very high.

– I am interested in this issue, because every conscript brings the mood and morals of his family, his environment.

“I am convinced that our people have learned from the recent failures and are determined to build a stronger country, a stronger army, able to correct their own mistakes and go with their national dreams.” Life has proven time and time again that we must rely on ourselves, only on ourselves.

– Ideological, military-patriotic work is a priority in the pre-conscription training program. If their content was clear before the war (victorious people, the best army in the region), today we need new sources to nurture our national pride.

– There is no need for new sources, as our goals are the same. We must fill the army with soldiers who are proud of the history of their people and capable of defending the borders of their country. The spirit of our soldiers was not nourished only by the roots of the Artsakh liberation war. Our centuries-old history has many glorious pages and will continue to do so. The world is changing hour by hour, and we must be ready to face all challenges and seize the opportunity to solve our vital problems at the right time.

– Well, let’s talk about the actual conscription process. The rate of coronavirus spread has decreased, are there any changes related to the restrictions?

– No, we are still fighting the spread of coronavirus with the same diligence as during the biggest wave of the disease. All conscripts are thermometed, the presence of antibodies is checked, and in case of the slightest suspicion, a coronavirus test is performed.

– Were any coronavirus infected among conscripts found during this conscription?

– No, there were two cases of suspicion, the suspicion was refuted by testing. Conscripts receive all vaccinations on time.

– Are conscripts vaccinated against coronavirus?

– Vaccinations against coronavirus are optional. And there were conscripts who were vaccinated at their own request.

– Does the coronavirus hinder the flow of conscripts from abroad?

– So far we have had returns from Russia, France, the United States, but I can fully answer the question only after the end of conscription, when we will have the full number of returnees and understand what the tendencies are.

– The right and responsibility of medical examination of conscripts has been reserved exclusively for the Ministry of Health and civil medical institutions for a long time. The conscription and recruitment service has no influence on that process. Did this innovation justify itself, did the alarms about the conscription of unhealthy soldiers decrease?

– The medical examination of the conscripts was transferred to the Ministry of Health with our proposal and justifications. You see, at the pre-conscription age, starting from the age of 14, future soldiers undergo medical examinations in community polyclinics, and if necessary, are treated in civilian medical institutions. The Ministry of Health has the entire database of conscripts’ health, and it is up to the ministry to make the final decision, not the military commissariats. This is indisputable. As for the decrease in complaints, yes, during the previous conscription they showed a decrease. I should mention that the suspicions expressed in the complaints are often refuted. I have four children and I understand the conscripts’ parents very well. They do not want their children with health problems to be drafted because they fear that health-related service restrictions will not be maintained. The number of complaints will be significantly reduced if the application of restrictions in military units is maintained.

– You said that conscripts, 14 years From the beginning, they undergo medical examinations in polyclinics and are treated if necessary. Are you sure that the regularity of medical examinations is maintained?

– We do not have a control function over the Ministry of Health and we can not be sure about that. But I can say that the Ministry of Health has been doing a lot of work recently to protect the health of conscripts, the results of which are apparent during conscription.

– Look, if once we explained the health problems of conscripts during the years of hunger, cold, darkness, because the generation of the 90s was called up for military service, now boys bron in 2003 come to the army. Is the generation healthier now?

– The “computer” generation has its own special health problems. If in my childhood and adolescence boys played in the yard and definitely did some sports, they trained, today the games are computer games, the desire for sports has decreased. The return is not late either. visual problems, spinal deformity, other diseases caused by immobility …

– What solution do you offer to correct the situation?

– We presented our considerations to the relevant department in a report. It is necessary to make the teaching of physical education more targeted and to fill the army of teachers with exclusively male teachers. I think there is no need to explain why a physical education teacher should be a man.

– Let’s talk about teaching military science. There are good traditions of cooperation between military commissariats and military commanders, but for some time now the Ministry of Defense has not selected military science teachers. They are selected through a competition organized by the Ministry of Education and Science. Are you satisfied with the criteria set for the competitors: higher education and service in the army? By this logic, a military science teacher can be, for example, a specialist with a higher education in mathematics or biology, who has served in the national army with the rank of private. For me personally, this innovation does not follow any logic.

– We have proposed to change the criteria of the competition, to define as a mandatory condition higher military education or service in the army as a battalion commander and in a higher position.

– Will the battalion commander or people with higher positions go to school as lieutenant colonels or colonels to work as military commanders?

– You know that the military retires at a young age, they can bring all their experience, knowledge, ideology to school. People who have trained soldiers for decades will do their best to train future soldiers.

– I think there will be an objection, because they do not have a pedagogical education.

– High-ranking military men with military education will be much more qualified pedagogues than the newly graduated chemists or geographers of the Pedagogical University with their experience, training of soldiers, moral and psychological support, collective formation skills. After all, the first goal of the subject of military science is to prepare the conscript for the upcoming military service.

– The textbook of the subject of military science is being improved. Do the employees of the service you lead participate in the work of the commission?

– Yes, we have a representative in the commission for the reform of the book of military science.

– Mr. Avtandilyan, are there any innovations in the order of distribution of conscripts?

– No, the future service of conscripts is still chosen by lot. The parents follow the draw in the F and ADF regional subdivisions via video link. Anyone who has not been able to follow the lottery directly should contact us and receive a video of the lottery.

– Did the idea of ​​forming a scientific platoon justify itself? Did the soldiers of that platoon invest in military science?

– I am not the addressee of the question, but I can say that the criteria for the competition for the scientific team are very high, the most talented young scientists are selected, and their intellectual potential, in my opinion, will greatly contribute to the development of our armed forces.

– What would you wish to the future soldiers?

– I am proud that such a brave, patriotic and unbreakable generation has grown up in Armenia. I am proud of the unparalleled heroism of our soldiers during the last war. I am proud of the unwavering spirit of our conscripts and their determination to keep the borders of the Homeland intact. I have a wish: let all our conscripts serve with their worthy honor and return home safe and sound.

By GAYANE POGHOSYAN

Photos by AREG VARDANYAN and ARMAN ARSHAKYAN