Blog

EVDOKIMOS MARKOPOULOS

By Markopoulos Evdokimos, Businessman, Member of ELISME.

Modern wars are no longer limited to battlefields far from cities and civilians with rifles, bayonets, and short-range weapons.

New modern weapons allow for long-range strikes, even intercontinental ones.

The targets of wars primarily include the strategic infrastructures of countries, many of which are located near or within the cities where civilians live.

Therefore, even if citizens are not on the battlefields but in cities as civilians, they are at risk and are involved in today's wars, participating in different roles, which makes it necessary to maintain basic skills and knowledge that they acquired during their military service in order to be able to do what they need to do.

That is, to help women, children, and the elderly survive as well as themselves.

In addition to wars, however, countries also face major natural disasters with floods, storms, tornadoes, fires, etc. that occur due to climate change.

Therefore, all citizens must have the necessary education and physical fitness to be able to survive both in war conditions, whether they are directly involved as conscripts or indirectly as civilians, and in natural disasters.

I remind you that in the event of natural disasters, floods, fires, etc., the armed forces are called upon to assist, therefore, during military service, appropriate training should be provided.

This fact upgrades and makes particularly important the military service and the education that must be provided to citizens not only for the fulfillment of the main mission, which is the defense of the homeland, but also for their survival in conditions of natural disasters that have become a common phenomenon throughout the planet.

Therefore, military service will be a school of survival both in conditions of war and natural disasters in which the armed forces participate to help. Therefore, during military service, the necessary training will be provided and the limits of the physical endurance of the conscripts will be tested with the use of special trainers.

All of the above should be explained to the draftees so that they understand that their training is intended to help them and not to torture and afflict them.

So far, I have only mentioned the personal benefits that citizens will have from their education during their military service, which they must attend with seriousness and diligence and not consider as wasted time.

But as citizens we also have obligations and not only rights, and one of our obligations is the fulfillment of our military obligations.

SO WHAT SHOULD MILITARY SERVICE BE LIKE TODAY TO RESPOND TO ITS NEW DUAL ROLE?

PROPOSAL

First of all, I would like to say that I was a recruit trainer as a reserve officer in 1974 and I am aware of what I write from the outside, seeing the subject as a reservist and not as a permanent officer. Working in business all my life, I met very high-ranking executives of multinational giants such as 3M, LENOVO, etc. and they advised me to look at my company from the outside. This is what I am doing now, writing about military service.

1. INCREASE OF SERVICE FOR BETTER TRAINING OF MILITARY SERVANTS AND ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS.

The term of office used to be 24 months and our politicians, for vote-getting reasons, reduced it to 9 months. Taking into account the demographic problem, this fact led to the abolition of military units and to the failure to meet the needs of the armed forces. Thus, many of the military units that continue to exist operate with 30% and 40% of the manpower they should have, with all the adverse consequences for their proper functioning and the defense of our homeland.

Furthermore, when the main threat to our homeland comes from Turkey, which has a population of 85 million, it is obvious that in order to be able to defend our homeland, we must have a sufficient number of conscripts ready for war, taking into account the territorial morphology of our homeland with its 9.500 islands and islets.

After all, it is known that without military power you cannot exercise foreign policy or achieve deterrence.

Military service should therefore be made 24 months again and we should take it seriously as responsible citizens.

2. EDUCATION

2.1 DURING THE TERM OF SERVICE

By introducing new recruits to the units before any training begins, the importance of military service should be explained to them as I presented it above, but it should also be constantly reminded during it.

In the first year of service, emphasis should be placed on military training alone, with priority given to acquiring good physical fitness.

For this reason, gymnasts should be used to bring and keep the conscripts in good physical condition. It will be an opportunity for the young people to learn to exercise, which will also be good for their health. Also, to test their endurance and limits both physically and under pressure, something that should be explained not formally but essentially along with the importance of exercise before their training begins and constantly reminded of.

REAL TRAINING PROGRAMS SHOULD BE MADE for draftees

BOLLY to do EVERY WEEK

Even simple exercises such as reconnaissance marches should be defined, for example, as individuals for vanguard or scouts who will automatically take their positions so that what was heard in the war museum's amphitheater is not heard, that in 1974 the company's officer in charge, while going first, remembered that the manual said that he should be last and changed positions in the middle of the march in a state of war!

Just so you know, reservists who served told me that their service was a waste of time because they didn't do anything, i.e. training, but I experienced these things as an instructor and I have my personal opinion.

In the second year of service, in addition to military training, computer, English, etc. courses should be taken because many children usually do not understand when they go to school that they have to read and their minds come to them later.

Because acquiring knowledge and skills was also my suggestion in articles that I have been publishing for the last 7 years in the local newspaper of Karditsa, where I was born.

My proposal was made with the condition of a 24-month term, so there is ENOUGH TIME for both military training and the ACQUISITION of knowledge and skills.

With a 9 or 12 month term, I don't think there is ENOUGH TIME to do REAL MILITARY TRAINING but also acquire knowledge and skills in IT, English, etc., which was my suggestion.

I suggest that training also include the acquisition of first aid knowledge.

I also proposed and propose that people who have skills and degrees be used in positions such that both their skills and their degrees are used during their term of office, which will constitute PRACTICAL EXERCISE and the acquisition of experience, but also a more significant contribution to the armed forces.

EXAMPLE Mechanical and electrical engineer admitted to NTUA first among all candidates (there were no groups at that time) SECOND IN AN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OF US UNIVERSITIES. Naturally, the American universities argued over which one would take him first by giving him a scholarship. Is it possible that his knowledge would not be used during his tenure?

HE HAD FOUND A SYSTEM TO DRIVE THE TURKS' SEISMIC RESEARCH VESSEL CRAZY, as he told me, and yet no one was interested and NEITHER THE SYSTEM IN QUESTION NOR HE HIMSELF was used in a similar position!

After his term, it was used by the then Minister of National Defense to purchase airplanes.

He became a professor at the Technical University of Crete and could build anything you asked of him.

But is this enough today?

Of course NOT.

2.2 POST-SERVICE TRAINING

Training should be continuous even after military service, without always requiring reservists to move to another city far from their residence.

For this reason, we should create short basic training lasting one morning or one day, which can be the same for all weapons and carried out by a mobile unit of instructors in various cities.

This type of training will keep the reservists in touch with the armed forces, which is very important.

Maintaining contact between reservists and the armed forces.

This will be achieved through weekly 2,5-hour meetings at the reservists' place of residence without having to leave their jobs and families.

Half of Greece's population lives in Athens and another million in Thessaloniki.

During these 2,5 hours, a short training session will be provided and contact with the armed forces will be maintained. They will provide an opportunity to reunite with reservists who served together, etc.

These meetings can be from one to 4 consecutive meetings, one every week.

2.3 PRE-SERVICE PREPARATION OF CONTRACTORS SO THAT THEY CAN FULFILL THEIR MILITARY OBLIGATIONS

But we also need to do something that wasn't necessary in the old days.

Because in order for citizens to fulfill their military obligations, their physical condition must allow them to do so when they report.

However, the modern lifestyle inactivates the body and kills it, creating flabby and obese citizens.

The fields and meadows where we used to run and play all day long are gone.

Today's young people live in caged apartments and play basketball, etc. on play stations and computers, lying down or sitting up.

They walk a little, etc.

So when the time comes to present themselves to many of them, their physical condition will not allow them to fulfill their military obligations because they will be unfit, obese, etc. In reality, they will not be able to.

But because we are good and bad habits, it is most appropriate for our young men and women to start exercising from their childhood.

Therefore, gymnastics should become a core subject in elementary school.

First of all, however, gymnasts should explain the importance of gymnastics for their good health, their well-being, their good appearance, but also for their survival in conditions of war and natural disasters due to climate change.

They must also learn swimming and first aid.

However, in addition to exercise, the importance of proper nutrition and adequate sleep should also be explained.

Finally, since we are living longer, exercise will help them live a dignified, self-sufficient life.

So there are many and significant benefits for both the draftees and the state.

Because healthy citizens mean less hospitalization costs.

But good health and well-being also means increased productivity.

The philosopher Konstantinos Tsatsos and former president of the Republic said that he regretted two things in his life.

The fact that he didn't take care of his body, that is, he didn't exercise, and why he didn't bring more joy to his parents.

Only then will we have conscripts who will be able to fulfill their military obligations and survive both in conditions of war and natural disasters.

Finally, we must also take care of the ideological equipment of citizens.