Tonoyan listed priority tasks of Armenian Defense Ministry for  development of army

ArmInfo. One of the priorities  of the Armenian Armed Forces today is the replenishment of the Armed  Forces with modern weapons, military equipment and material and  technical means necessary for the army based on the introduction of  modern principles and systems of military command and control, as  well as the establishment of new criteria for enhancing combat  skills.  

This is stated in the vision of Armenian Defense Minister  David Tonoyan regarding the development of the army in the context of  the government program, where he singled out seven priority tasks for  implementation in the foreseeable future.

"Here our ultimate goal is to bring the army's combat readiness to  the highest level, to contain and suppress military encroachment on  Armenia, and in the event of war - the formation of the necessary  facilities for suppressing hostilities at an early stage and stopping  them in favor of interests of Republic of Armenia, the number one  task for us is the creation of favorable military conditions for the  peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. We will not allow the  enemy to speak with us from the position of strength and pursued  maximalist goals," the document says, and in this context it is added  that any destructive manifestation on the border, whether saboteur  penetration, sniper fire, change of positions, accumulation of forces  for scale aggression - will receive a sharp and sobering response.  According to him, for this, the Armenian side will continue to  consistently develop the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces and  suppress the enemy at the right time, in the right place and in the  right format. Tonoyan stressed that the task has already been set and  work is underway.

The Defense Minister stressed that the long-term process of  modernization of the Armed Forces will include all spheres of  military power. "Of course, it is important to replenish the Armenian  Armed Forces with modern weapons, and in this direction we will work  with both allies and partner countries and within the framework of  the development of the domestic military industry. Our  military-technical and military- industrial policy is primarily  focused on the range, accuracy and effectiveness of impact, for which  it is envisaged to continue replenishing the army with the most  up-to-date ultra-precise types of weapons, such as long-range  missiles, artillery, as well as a multifunctional aircraft," said  Tonoyan.

He stressed that the priority task of the AF is the modernization of  the system and management culture. The Minister of Defense believes  that this system should have sufficient efficiency, vitality,  mobility and technological equipment for conducting modern military  operations, and to accomplish this task, in addition to technical  solutions, the principle "Instruction through coaching" will  continue, the essence of which is to give subordinates the necessary  resources, strength and means, prudent instruction and trust, and  then they will find the best solution to the problems and most  importantly, will do it more quickly than if the decision is made for  all, without knowledge of certain nuances regarding the  responsibility of each of the commanders. "Equally important are  methods and varieties of warfare, that is, the modernization of  military art and the formation of opportunities for decentralized  actions, the harmonization of the preparation of the Armed Forces to  the nature of possible hostilities, and, of course, the priority of  pursuing a policy of encouraging investments and creating joint  ventures in the military-industrial complex by improving tax and  administrative procedures, attracting foreign investment and creating  joint ventures through stat, private and international cooperation",  the document says.

It is noted that the Ministry of Defense will promote the creation of  appropriate production facilities, the development of research and  applied science, and the increase in the scientific and technical  potential of the state defense order for the development, production,  operation, maintenance and modernization of weapons and military  equipment in a short period of time.

The second priority task Tonoyan considers permanent equipping of  frontline with modern technical means and increasing the efficiency  of accomplishing combat missions. On the one hand, the Armenian Armed  Forces must maximize the detection of sniper fire attempts, saboteur  penetration, elimination of firing points, and on the other - the  degree of defense and shelter, as well as concealment of personnel.  The head of the Armenian Defense Ministry believes that in this  context the main task is to improve the conditions for combat duty  and increase the security of personnel, which can be achieved through  the introduction on the frontline of various technical equipment that  allow early detection of attempts to sabotage, his movement, and  increase security of personnel - that is, a step-by-step replacement  of static defense to flexible.

The next task for Tonoyan is to significantly improve the quality and  effectiveness of the work carried out with personnel. According to  him, the ultimate goal is to strengthen the level of moral and  psychological training and discipline in the Armed Forces, ensure  human rights in the army, reduce to minimum the hazing and minimize  suicide attempts, self injuring, humiliation of servicemen, increase  their awareness to ensure compliance with rights in the Armed Forces,  as well as transparency during the course of official investigations.

The fourth priority task according to the vision of the Minister of  Defense is to ensure the continuation of the education of servicemen  throughout the whole service. "We must consistently work to raise the  level of education and raise the intellectual level of the military  man as the most important direction of the development strategy of  the Armed Forces. Our final goal is the formation in the army of new  ethical standards of military professionalism and morality that will  enhance the image of the country's armed forces," he said, while  adding that the personnel policy will also be changed, and civilians  will be enlisted in the ranks of the Armed Forces.

"The fifth priority is the proper and full material provision of  servicemen. We must guarantee the protection of the rights of all  servicemen and the proper provision of logistical and medical  support. Our task is to improve the qualitative and quantitative  indicators of material and food security for servicemen. The Ministry  of Defense will develop a package of proposals to improve the  relevant standards, which will be submitted for consideration in the  government." he said.

The sixth priority for Tonoyan is to increase the level of social  protection of servicemen, the implementation of housing programs,  medical assistance projects, etc. The priority task is the  implementation of comprehensive programs of social support for former  servicemen and civilians, military disabled, family members of the  killed and the missing persons, the transformation of the military  health system from rendering first aid on the battlefield to  hospitalization, and providing quality treatment in the hospital.  According to him, the development of a long-term program for mortgage  lending to servicemen on preferential terms "Affordable housing for  servicemen" is already being finalized, the issue of increasing the  money allowance for the military is also at the center of attention.

The final, the seventh task for Tonoyan is to strengthen the  procedures for expanding opportunities in the current international  integration and collective security. "The ultimate goal is the  development of military- political alliances and partnerships while  ensuring balance in the formation of relations taking into account  the interests of Armenia and the existing military-political unions.  We are not in a political vacuum with our enemy, but surrounded by  societies and states that sometimes have different agendas," the  minister said.  He added that Armenia's successes in ensuring  external security depend on how correctly it can make decisions in  the maelstrom of these international relations. Tonoyan stressed that  the priority task of the Armenian side is to develop allied and  partner cooperation in the field of defense, to take steps to  diversify the content of the geographical picture, to promote  international cooperation in the multilateral and bilateral aspects  of military-political relations.