The government acquires arms it can rather than what is really necessary – Avetik Kerobyan

Former chair of the Military-Industrial Committee, technology expert Avetik Kerobyan welcomes the government’s initiative to equip the Armenian Armed Forces with French and Indian arms but emphasizes that the government acquires what it can rather than what is really necessary.

“If we compare the French and Indian artillery, they are of the same caliber, but they work on different principles. Indian self-propelled artillery is slow, unlike French self-propelled artillery. Besides, they vary greatly in combat capabilities, including automation capabilities. Having various artillery systems in the army will create certain logistical difficulties in terms of training, interchangeability of spare parts. In any case, the development of military and technical cooperation in these areas is very important,” Avetik Kerobyan told Alpha News.

The expert presented Armenia’s problems in air defense, emphasizing that there have always been few air defense systems in the Armed Forces, and after the 44-day war, their number has decreased.

“Border protection has become more complicated in terms of air defense. Portable air defense systems will play an important role here, and the main focus should be on the acquisition of this armament. France announced that it had supplied mobile radars; a few years before that, we purchased anti-missile radars from India. It was also announced that the government would purchase air defense systems from India, but there are very few of them, and they are identical. We need diversity to create a multi-level air defense system,” Avetik Kerobyan noted.

Speaking about the use of new technologies, arms, and approaches in the Russian-Ukrainian war, Avetik Kerobyan emphasized that this war has opened a new page in modern military art.

“Remote-controlled UAVs began to play a huge role. If at that time we were talking about high-speed, well-armed UAVs, which are used by the United States, India, and China in areas without developed air defense systems, then small UAVs play an important role in intimidating both attacking and defending troops, as well as in supporting an attack or defense. We must also pay attention to this and not only examine this experience but also train professionals. At the same time, they do not necessarily have to be specialists of the armed forces; they can also be civilians who will receive appropriate training and, during mass military operations, can be called up to replenish the army and give a new quality to our Armed Forces,” the expert emphasized.

Avetik Kerobyan considers the involvement of the population in the Armed Forces and military operations important.

“Our geography has narrowed so much that many settlements have ended up in a direct zone of destruction, and a trained population, which should stand next to a soldier defending the border, has simply become a necessity. You cannot rely on the army alone. The importance of training the population is undeniable, because a panicked population is the first guarantee of defeat. For example, 25-day exercises do very little for the development of territorial defense forces, the local population must necessarily be involved in them. You cannot take a resident of Kotayk to the exercises in Syunik and think that Syunik will be protected; the local population must be involved in the protection of their territory. This principle should be applied to all regions.

It is important that these units are in permanent composition so that people are familiar with each other and with the territory and can defend or counterattack.

We cannot afford to have only a professional army; a population must be involved, but we must look at how effectively certain individuals participate in these gatherings or territorial defense forces,” Kerobyan said.