Authority Shows That the Defense System is Not Important to It, from Minister to Deputies: Abrahamyan

Recently, by the Prime Minister's decision, Suren Sahakyan has been appointed as the Deputy Minister of Defense. Sahakyan is a physicist by profession who worked in his field during the Soviet era but served as the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and the Head of the State Tax Inspectorate from 1991 to 1992. After that, he was engaged in diplomatic activities for about eight years until 2002. This was reported by Tigran Abrahamyan, head of the analytical center 'Henaket' and former security advisor to the President of Artsakh.

In the last two decades, according to Sahakyan's biography, he has held leadership positions in various private companies, the latest being the head of management at VTB Armenia from 2011 to 2018. Media reports indicate that Sahakyan has not been active in any field since 2018.

The appointment of Suren Sahakyan as Deputy Minister of Defense suggests that it is based on narrow personal expediency of the Prime Minister or Minister of Defense, without providing clear insights into what challenges he will address in this role.

On the other hand, a week prior, the new deputy, a former police chief, candidly stated that he had no idea about the sectors or directions he would be dealing with. It is plausible that Sahakyan might face similar ambiguity, adopting a 'we will think of something later' approach, which is already concerning.

The main issue isn't just that these individuals are not from the system but that it remains unclear what problems these appointments will solve for Armenia, Artsakh, and our armed forces during this precarious phase.

For example, Vigen Sargsyan was appointed as Minister of Defense at one time, who previously served as the head of the presidential staff and, leveraging his managerial and intellectual capabilities upon entering the system, implemented significant reforms in a short time. Similarly, during Davit Tonoyan's tenure, Gabriel Balayan, who became Deputy Minister while not being a long-time system insider, was at least known for overseeing the legal block of the Ministry of Defense, managing legislative initiatives regarding military police and military prosecutor services, among others.

Similarly, Balayan's colleague, Makara Ghambaryan, who was freed from his position after Tonoyan's dismissal, managed the financial block of the Ministry of Defense. Before that, he was among the best experienced specialists in the field at the Ministry of Finance and the government office.

This means that in their cases, at least the work and motivations behind their appointments were recognizable, regardless of how they executed those responsibilities.

In contrast, the deputies of the Chief of the General Staff, including Tiran Khachatryan, Stepan Galstyan, Andranik Makaryan, Karen Abrahamyan, and Arakel Martikyan, are experienced military personnel who have gone through a long service path. As such, their appointments in those roles did not become subjects of broad discussion at the time.

Perhaps those appointments were debated in narrow professional circles or within the internal workings of the General Staff. However, they did not become a concern for the wider public.

Even for different individuals occupying leadership positions within the system, it is often challenging to grasp the overall pulse of the armed forces after being appointed to such crucial roles. In these complex conditions, there is an urgent need for rapid changes and operational solutions. Yet, the government continues its illogical personnel movements, thus significantly reducing expectations from that system.

Moreover, I believe that even after the separation of the Chief of the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense, at least one of the deputies of the Minister of Defense should be a professional military officer because there are questions and issues that can only be posed or discussed with experienced military personnel to find effective solutions, given that the military is a multi-layered system where few issues can be resolved with simple solutions. Furthermore, any failure in this system is much more sensitive and dangerous than in other sectors.

Through its appointments from the Minister to the deputies within the defense system, the authority shows that this structure does not hold significant importance for it and is merely solving the problem of ensuring presence there with various faces, thereby jeopardizing our security system, which is already in a fragile phase.