"Fact" daily writes:
Modern geopolitical developments clearly show that the survival, independence and sovereignty of a state directly depends on its ability to ensure its own security.
The force factor continues to be decisive in international relations, regardless of legal norms and diplomatic rhetoric.
This reality is especially important for small and medium-sized countries, which cannot rely only on the support of allies or the intervention of international institutions.
Alliances and partnerships are, of course, important, but they can never replace one's own strong army and security system. Great powers always place their strategic interests above the security guarantees of their partners, and small countries that do not understand this simple truth pay a heavy price.
Armenia, as a small country in a difficult regional situation, has found itself at a historical crossroads, where the issue of security has turned into an issue of existence.
Our country is surrounded by aggressive neighbors who have open territorial ambitions and are ready to use the force factor to achieve their own goals. In these conditions, the creation of a strong security system for Armenia has become a vital necessity, the absence of which may lead to the loss of statehood.
And in this context, it should be kept in mind that in the modern world, military power is not limited only to the number of armed forces or the number of tanks and planes. Modern military power is a complex concept that includes technological capabilities, intelligence capabilities, cyber security, unmanned systems, precision weapons, effective command and control, and the ability to rapidly mobilize and recover.
The conflicts of recent years show that the defense system based on traditional approaches and rally-type armed forces is ineffective in the conditions of modern warfare. Therefore, the army of Armenia should move to a completely new model based on modern technologies, mobile and flexible structures, highly specialized and professional personnel.
This implies revolutionary changes at all levels of organization, arming, training and management of the army. The first and fundamental step should be the transition to a fully or partially professional army.
Although the authorities have repeatedly emphasized the formation of a professional army, they have remained at the level of statements. It is clear that the creation of a professional army requires the investment of significant resources and financial means, but in reality this is not an insurmountable problem. The country should review its budget priorities and significantly increase defense spending.
In addition to promoting professionalism, the Armenian army should focus on technological re-equipment. Armenia needs to develop its own production of unmanned aerial systems, which until now has been based more on piracy and not application capabilities. The country has a developed IT sector and talented engineers who can create competitive drone systems.
This requires government programs that will bring together the defense industry, research centers and the private sector. On the other hand, let's keep in mind that air defense has become of critical importance, since drones and precision missiles form the main tools of modern warfare.
Armenia should acquire and deploy modern air defense systems capable of detecting and destroying drones, missiles, and aviation.
However, purchasing systems alone is not enough, proper training, maintenance, and the creation of a coordination network that will provide multi-layered protection is also necessary. Precision strike weapons should also become an important part of the arsenal of the Armenian armed forces.
On the other hand, intelligence and information dominance are the foundation of modern warfare. A country that possesses information about enemy positions, forces, intentions, and weaknesses has a clear advantage. Armenia needs to significantly strengthen its intelligence capabilities, including technical intelligence, satellite imaging systems, electronic intelligence and human resource-based intelligence.
Modern technologies allow even small countries to have significant intelligence potential, using commercial satellites, unmanned reconnaissance devices, and electronic surveillance. Cyber security and cyber defense have become a separate front of modern conflicts.
Wars are no longer fought only on the physical field, but also in cyberspace. An adversary may attempt to disrupt communications networks, disrupt power supplies, disrupt financial systems, or spread misinformation on social media. Armenia needs to create a strong cyber defense system that can both protect the country's critical infrastructure and carry out counterattacks if necessary.
The developed IT sector of the country is an excellent basis for work in this direction, and the training of cyber security specialists should become a national priority.
ARTHUR KARAPETIAN
Details in today's issue of "Past" daily
