Person Not in Military Service to Be Punished for Wearing Military Uniform: New Bill

The Armenian government approved a package of amendments to the "Disciplinary Code of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia" and several other laws during its meeting today, March 9. This legislation establishes penalties for individuals who wear military uniforms without being in military service and without the right to do so, as well as for failing to ensure that defense vehicles are technically fit for use or avoiding the defined procedure for the involvement of vehicles.

The justification for the decision notes that according to the military code, a service inquiry is mandatory in cases of disciplinary violations committed by officers. This provision significantly burdened the process of holding military personnel accountable for various minor infractions.

Instead, it is deemed appropriate to define specific mandatory cases for the initiation of a service inquiry, such as voluntarily leaving a military unit or place of service, violations during combat duty, or breaches of weaponry and military equipment operation regulations, as these instances have a more negative impact on military service relationships.

Additionally, there is a need to clarify in the law the scope of incentives and disciplinary penalties applicable to those conscripted through mobilization or called up for training exercises. The types of disciplinary penalties will include withholding up to 30% of the soldier's monthly official salary for up to three months instead of imposing a penalty based on an extraordinary workload.

Moreover, the procedure for choosing disciplinary penalties and the processes for appealing them will be clarified along with various other adjustments and regulations in the military code.

Given the current realities, it has also become necessary to supplement the types of disciplinary violations with provisions establishing liability for soldiers who fail to adhere to legally prescribed restrictions and for breaches of secrecy regulations.

Specifically, there is a need to expand the list of legal restrictions for soldiers based on the particulars of military service and proper organizational conditions. Soldiers completing mandatory military service with higher education will have the opportunity to receive their first officer military rank if they voluntarily take short-term officer courses. The procedure for siblings serving in the same unit is to be clarified since there are cases where one sibling is assigned under terms that are not satisfactory to the other sibling.

Equal opportunities will be provided for soldiers who have reached the eligible age to extend their contract military service, and reserve senior and high-ranking officers will also have the option to join contract military service after reaching the eligible age.

The grounds for dismissal in case of mobilization are being defined as the soldier's failure to perform their duties or being hospitalized for more than five calendar days, provided that medical conclusions indicate that the soldier's treatment may extend beyond a month. The deadlines for retaining soldiers' official salary payments in cases of dismissal based on relevant grounds are being specified.

The approval of this package of legislative amendments may lead to the need for additional financial resources in the state budgets for 2022 and subsequent years, the calculations of which cannot be anticipated.