Armenian defence minister meets with Ditaket program participants

3 February, 2018 20:33
Armenian Defence Minister Vigen Sargsyan met on February 3 with servicemen discharged in the summer of 2017 who participated in the survey conducted by the Ministry of Defence under the Ditaket program.

After conveying his gratitude to the discharged soldiers for having honourably completed their constitutional duty and active participation in the survey, Minister Sargsyan said the results are an extremely important guideline for rapid addressing the issues raised, correct evaluation of the public perceptions of the Armed Forces, making appropriate decisions and, accordingly, outlining the defence policy priorities.

During the meeting, the servicemen were presented the findings of the survey as they also expressed their opinions on the conditions of the military service, the problematic issues observed in the military unit and the results of the Ditaket program.

The survey has resulted in an extensive database -- about 560 questions and sub-questions and data obtained from their combination – related to all aspects of the army life: from material, health care issues, education and leisure activities to the daily life and unlawful relations between the servicemen.

Speaking about the survey methodology, Brevis General Manager Hovhannes Grigoryan said the survey data give a clear picture of the discharged servicemen’s attitude to the military service. He detailed that that conscripts with a higher level of education and young people coming from lower-income families have a relatively negative opinion of the military service. The Ditaket coordinator Armen Khachikyan added that the findings show a better satisfaction with the quality of food and uniforms.

In general, the survey showed that there are some stereotypical perceptions of the military service that significantly change in the course of service. Those conscripts, who were better informed about their rights and responsibilities, as well as had a better understanding of the army life, were more positive towards the military service.

Minister Sargsyan answered the questions of those participating in the meeting and suggested they should speak about their concerns more openly and come up with proposals of their own.

He also spoke about the main directions of the seven-year modernization program of the military, strengthening the army’s combat readiness and improving the socio-economic and living conditions of the servicemen, the military service postponement for students, an issue widely discussed in the society. He went on presenting the key initiatives that are designed to provide new qualitative progress in the armed forces.