PRESIDENTIAL candidate Ioannis Kasoulides yesterday weighed in on the debate about slashing military service to 14 months, with pro-government parties again calling the proposal unfeasible.
The brainchild of DISY deputy and former Defence Minister Socrates Hasikos, the idea envisions the creation of a “semi-professional army” by hiring contract servicemen who would gradually replace many of the conscripts.
The military stint is currently 26 months long, considered by most to be too long.
The professional soldiers would be hired on renewable five-year contracts and would supposedly receive superior training to those of current conscripts, thus beefing up the effectiveness of the National Guard.
Though not a new proposal, it has received a great deal of attention this time because the government camp claims it’s a vote-mongering gimmick by DISY ahead of the elections.
The issue came up this week during a session of the House Defence Committee on the defence budget.
Defence Minister Christodoulos Pashardis said that for the time being the concept is not economically viable, though he left a small window open for future consideration.
And he warned against giving conscripts false hope, as the effects of the reduction would not be felt for years to come even if it were to be implemented immediately.
In response, Hasikos said the reduction would be carried out piecemeal; so that for example, conscripts drafted this summer would end up serving four months less by the end of their stint. The service would then be decreased a little further, as more professional soldiers joined the National Guard.
DISY’s proposal also plans to outsource certain army activities (such as catering) which are a drain on army resources and take up time that could be used more productively by conscripts.
Moreover, it would allow draftees to join the labour force earlier and be more productive members of society.
Communist AKEL adopted a middle-of-the-road stance, suggesting that military service be slashed to 19 months instead of 14.
But Yiannakis Omirou, chairman of the House Defence Committee, said yesterday that the National Guard General Staff had already examined the possibility and decided it was not doable under the present circumstances.
“We would like to reduce military service, but without affecting the combat-worthiness of the armed forces. For the moment, it cannot be done,” said Omirou.
For his part, Ioannis Kasoulides said the opposition to DISY’s proposal came from “old-fashioned politicians who fear new ideas”.
“There are certain politicians who do not want to examine new alternatives. They cannot imagine a modern, technologically upgraded and modern army,” he said.
According to Kasoulides, in modern armies it is not numbers that count, but rather the combat-readiness and training of its personnel.
He also sought to allay concerns that reducing the number of conscripts would mean extra guard duty for the remaining soldiers as there might not be enough personnel to go around.
Speaking to the Mail, Hasikos said DISY drew on a study conducted by a private accounting firm, which concluded that hiring professionals in the army was financially sound.
Ultimately, he said, the plan would have 2,500 paid professionals serving alongside 4,500 conscripts.
The plan could be implemented gradually over a two-year period, he claimed.
