Armenia's armed forces accept everyone indiscriminately under contract due to personnel shortage — media
The Armenian authorities are trying at any cost to make up for the shortage of personnel in the army after the term of compulsory military service was reduced to a year and a half, the newspaper Hraparak writes.
According to the publication, in order to somehow solve the problem, the leadership of the Defense Ministry is hastily increasing the number of servicemen under the "Defender of the Homeland" program. At the same time, the established requirements for candidates have faded into the background: as the newspaper claims, practically everyone who wishes is accepted into the program, including those who were previously dismissed from service.
Hraparak links the tragic incidents of recent months in the army, among other things, to the lowering of requirements for the selection of servicemen. Another problem cited by the publication's sources is the lack of proper oversight.
"The army has turned into a thoroughfare, where anyone can walk in and where there is no proper order," a source of the newspaper stated.
The "Defender of the Homeland" program allows conscripts, after six months, to transfer to five-year contract service. Upon completion of the contract, or upon its early termination for health reasons, servicemen can receive compensation of about $12,000.
