Armenian Army

[dstyle]

Do you think our governement should put in place something like the Foreign Legion. Well a little different. A way slowly to start getting 18 year old males to start joining the armenian army, and push it in every kaghout as they say. I think israel has something like this.
It might not be practical financially, but imagine all the other benefits.
What are everyones thoughts?

[jahannam]

I wish I knew enough to talk here.
but it sounds like a good idea to me!
but I can't wait for Baron's and tigran's responses

[xBaron Dants]

I am not familiar with the concept..

Does it mean training groups of armenian youth in communities in the diaspora?

I don't want to write a long essay if it turns out to mean something else.

[dstyle]

no. hehe.
more like youth going for 2 years to serve there country, going to armenia 2 serve in the army. im sure any armenian can go now, but i mean a serious program to actually have youth to go.

[xBaron Dants]

Alright, the following ramblings are not the result of a long thinking session, so take it with a grain of salt (or two, if you like things salty).

The thing with this program is that, at first, it strikes as a brilliant idea. It would promote Armenia-Diaspora ties, and could even strengthen the national army.

However, I find a few glitches.

First one being the less important: This can be seen as some sort of "preparation for war" or "provocaton" by international observers. While things like these can be brushed off with the right diplomats saying the right things (yes Tigran, Oskanian again ), it might still be an asterisk on our government's international credibility.

The "glitch" I find more important is that the young man who goes to Armenia will probably have to interrupt his education. It is my profound conviction that a young educated Armenian can make contributions that would be far more valuable than joining such a program, at the risk of falling behind on education.

Also, this might be the first glimpse of Armenia the participants get. The Armenian army is a tough one (probably like all the armies in the world, except maybe the Swiss guards of the Vatican or the Canadian army) and it may turn off the young diasporans from the whole "Armenia experience".

There have also been quite a few cases of cruelty in the barracks between soldiers. I will not blame those incidents on the soldiers themselves, but there are some issues in the army that need to be adressed.

[dstyle]

Well of course there would have to be more details sorted out before something like this would get started.
The cruelty of the army captains and such towards the privates would have to be fixed.
About the education aspect, i think being in such a structured environment has its own benefits. If the person started when they were 18, they would finish by the time they were 20. So they would have ample time for there education, and also would have that tie to there homeland.
There are many other aspects as well, but the greatest part would be that we would have a lot more able bodied men just in case our f'ed up neighbors to the east or west got a little to happy.
Funding would also be v hard for a project like this but oh well.
Oh one more thought, maybe an education benefit for these youngsters to go to college in armenia after.

[xBaron Dants]

My priority would be that the local armenians who are doing their service get easier access to the universities in Armenia.

It might also cause problems between the local and the diasporan privates, as I'm sure that there would be made arrangements of some sort that the diasporans get "lighter" treatment.

In the end, in my humble opinion, it's a lot of effort that should be invested in something else.

[TJ]

i agree that at first look it seems like a very good idea, but i have to disagree with you baron about saying how this could harm Armenia's international standing. Azerbaijan has a lot larger army than us and this thing would not be forced it would be a volunteer program so i dont see how it could harm our standing, i think it would just be a way of encouraging security.

Also i think if they do it it should be seperate from the Armenian army and could be almost like the reserves that they have in the US. the Armenian army has a lot of internal problems. it is corrupt and younger less experienced men are many times pressured and money is taken from them as a sort of tribute to their commanders, the army is trying to stamp this practice out and they seem to be having some success.

About the funding i think, this could also be partly funded by the government and partly by diaspora organizations.

By the way guys our army is one of the best trained and disciplined in the world. this is not just my opinion but is verified by many military experts. This information is from a non Armenian news source that i have read a year or two ago, just in case you are curious

[xBaron Dants]

Originally posted by TigranJamharian i agree that at first look it seems like a very good idea, but i have to disagree with you baron about saying how this could harm Armenia's international standing. Azerbaijan has a lot larger army than us and this thing would not be forced it would be a volunteer program so i dont see how it could harm our standing, i think it would just be a way of encouraging security.

Tigran jan...knowing azeris like we've had the "fortune" of knowing them, they will take any small action and multiply it and claim that it is a threat to their safety. But as I said, this can be downplayed as Armenia is better represented diplomatically on the international stage, than the azeris who basically send some idiot relatives of Aliyev to show how stupid their government really is.


As for our army, I have also read that it is one of the strongest in the region. Most of it is due, I think, to the quality of our generals and tacticians.

[xBaron Dants]

The idea of army reserves is actually quite interesting.

However, as I stated earlier, my priority for the army would be that the young men who complete their service can continue their education (even while in the army), and can be given a hand in finding or starting a job when they leave the army.