Davit Jamalyan: The war may start soon, but the current government breaks the back of the army

When Armenian positions open fire in response to the enemy’s offensive actions, this is a rational, logical and necessary step of self-defense, military expert Davit Jamalyan told Alpha News.

“If, for example, they decide to open fire for fun, then such actions are, of course, reprehensible. But when Armenian positions open fire in response to the enemy’s offensive actions, this is a rational, logical and necessary step of self-defense. In other words, the serviceman fulfills the constitutional function assigned to him—that is why he is at the combat post.

It is very difficult for the captain of the strongpoint to navigate whether the Turks are provoking, whether this is the beginning of an attack or not, and whether a sabotage attack will follow or not. Shooting at the borders is an attack, and that says it all, and, naturally, returning fire is an appropriate reaction,” Davit Jamalyan said.

The military expert noted that in combat positions, the lower command level must independently take the initiative rather than wait for orders.

“The lower command staff must have the right to initiative, because by the time you report what is happening, by the time the order comes, everything can change and get out of control. There can be various situations; for example, they may open intense fire on a base, which may be the beginning of an attack, or it may be the sabotage group penetrating from another place. I will say more: if the enemy is carrying out engineering work, the task is to prevent them from completing their engineering work,” Jamalyan noted.

Jamalyan also emphasized that, with all its actions, the current government is breaking the back of the Armenian army.

“The war may start soon, and the current government undermines morale and breaks the back of the army by creating an unhealthy environment. If tomorrow the Azerbaijani army begins intensive shelling before going on the offensive, what decision should the captain of the strongpoint make? What should he do? How does he know if this is just another shootout or the beginning of an attack? This uncertainty will lead to uncertainty in decision-making among the lower command staff, and we will waste time. In this way, we are giving the initiative to the enemy, breaking the possibility to act in response to aggression,” Davit Jamalyan concluded.