Mediamax, Armenia
Oct 11 2012
David Tonoyan: “The unsettled conflict doesn’t impede implementation
of defense reforms”
Interview of the First Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia to Mediamax
-Mr. Tonoyan, military education is one of the main areas of defense
reforms. What is the main ideology and reforms in this area?
– Indeed, as part of the defense reforms, the issue of military
education is one of the priorities for the Armenian government. The
Armenian Armed forces can’t stay aside from international trends of
military education development. The measures taken in this are aimed
at bringing our military-educational sphere in line with modern
standards and integrate it into international educational system.
The quality standards of the 21st century Armenian officer is
expressed in the main provisions of military-educational concept,
which are gaining and development of intellectual, educational,
professional, strategic self-preparedness, moral training indexes.
Thus, to replenish the Armenian Armed Forces with sensible and
skillful officer staff we should work out and introduce conceptual
approaches to education, training and advanced training for the
officer staff. As a result we are expecting to have officers
corresponding to international standards with theoretical and
practical knowledge and skills enabling to conduct both a modern
all-arms battle and peacekeeping operations. In this context, we pay
much attention to development of officers’ skills on making and
carrying out conscious and independent decisions.
We consider the foremost experience in defense reforms in the armed
forces of a number of countries useful to establish the career
development path of the officers who perfectly hold the military
profession.
Back in 2005, Armenia officially joined the Bologna Process having
aimed at joining the European Space for Higher Education in the end.
It supposes implementation of radical changes in the systems of
secondary, higher and lifelong learning to which the
military-educational system of the Armenian Armed Forces reacts.
– The introduction of professional sergeant staff has been much
spoken about recently. In which phase is the process now and when are
you going to finish it?
– Contract sergeant service formation is one of the key issues of
shifting to contract military service. Strengthening of the fighting
capacity of the Armed Forces and discipline in the army through
uniting the officers’ knowledge with the sergeants’ experience and
skills are two main goals we aim at.
To this end, according to the program of defense reforms, the process
of training contract sergeants launched back in February 2008.
Training courses for contract sergeants are conducted in two phases
within a year – January-May and July-November. During the courses the
Deputy Rifle Platoon Commanders and Rifle Section Leaders are trained.
A number of changes concerning contract sergeants have been made in
the legislation. In particular, according to the amendment introduced
in Law “On Performing Military Service” contract sergeants were
separated from `Private Staff’ becoming a `Warrant Officer Staff’.
Works on development of new educational programs and amendment of the
current ones for the higher level of contract sergeant staff (Company
Sergeant, Staff Sergeant and Battalion Sergeant) are currently
underway.
Introduction of the contract sergeant system is a long-term and
ongoing process. It took decades for even such countries as Great
Britain (which has a 300-year history of sergeant staff) and U.S. (50
years of history of contract sergeant staff) to achieve what they have
now. So, I think it’s still early to speak about the exact date of
completion of the process.
– In late 2011, an international expert group formed under NATO aegis
visited Yerevan to support military-educational reforms in Armenia. As
a result of the visit, it was stated that the program of command and
staff courses for senior officers that will later become the Command
and Staff Academy of the Ministry of Defense should be finally
elaborated. Besides, the plans on establishing a National Defense
University were also spoken about. Which phase of the process we are
in now and when are you going to set up other educational structures?
– We plan to organize the first command and staff course in 2013 which
will become a prototype for establishing the command and staff
military-educational institution scheduled for 2015. Under the decree
of the Minister of Defense of Armenia, a task force has been formed
which coordinates works of organizing the command and staff course.
The task force worked out the draft of state educational criterion for
the qualification of “Master of Military Management” of higher
military education which will be submitted for approval of the
Ministers of Defense and Education and Science. Two educational
programs for command and staff course based on the experience of
various countries as well as proposals of relevant subdivisions of the
Ministry of Defense and General Staff are being elaborated now.
As for the National Defense University, it will help us provide
political education in the defense and security spheres on the
strategic level, re-training and advanced training of senior officer
and command staff of the Armed Forces as well as senior officers of
other ministries involved in handling defense and security issues. It
will be implemented in form of the 2nd university degree, postgraduate
and additional education. It’s a long-term goal which supposes
formation of a serious scientific potential. I believe necessary
conditions for establishing the National Defense University will be
created within next 3 years.
– Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan said not so long ago that the
military education will be one of the priority areas in
Armenian-American military cooperation.
-Development of military cooperation with various countries is going
on. Core and some associated areas underlie the cooperation with each
state. It’s military education that’s one of the priority areas in
case of Armenian-American cooperation.
A large group of Armenian officers takes re-training and earns
education in various military and educational institutions of the U.S
on a yearly basis. Besides, a number of specialists from various
subdivisions of the U.S. Armed Forces provide professional and
methodological support within the reforms in military-educational
sphere in Armenia.
As for the special role of the military education in the cooperation
with the U.S. it’s conditioned both by U.S. leading role in the sphere
and readiness to provide assistance and relevant resources to partner
states including Armenia.
– In which countries do Armenian officers take re-trainings? Russian
military universities have long been considered our main “forge” for
our officer staff. What is the situation like today?
– Since 1994 up to now, military-educational institutions of the
Armenian Defense Ministry have been the main “forge” for the officer
staff of the Armenian Armed Forces.
Within annual bilateral military cooperation programs, the
representatives of the Armenian Armed Forces get education and take
professional re-training in military-educational institutions of
Russia, U.S., Germany, China, France, Italy, Lithuania, Greece, Poland
and a number of other countries.
We are going to realize staff training in Kazakhstan as well in 2013.
After the declaration of independence and up to now, we have received
invaluable support from Russia in providing military educaiton for the
Armenian officers. The representatives of the Armenian Armed Forces
get higher military and professional education in various military and
educational institutions operating within the territory of our ally. I
should note that the military-educational system of the Russian Armed
Forces is also being reformed now.
The final aim of our reforms is to make Armenia a much more
self-sufficient country in the military education sphere.
– Can Armenia shift gradually to professional army after the
completion of the reforms or it’s impossible due to the unsettled
conflict?
Relevant geopolitical conditions are needed to shift to professional
army. In case of reaching such conditions, is it possible to shift to
professional army? You fairly noted that we have an unsettled conflict
and in these conditions not a single state except for several
super-powers can afford full shift to the system of contract military
service.
Consequently, we will continue reforming our Armed Forces on the mixed
principle – mandatory and contract – gradually increasing the volumes
of the latter. Besides, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will no way
impede or slow down the rates and volumes of defense reforms, just
vice versa. Enhancement of fighting capacity of our Armed Forces was
and still is our main goal and the military and educational reforms
are one of the most important components of success of the process.