Claudio Savoia
11/06/2020 7:52 PM
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 11/06/2020 7:52 PM
The former head of the Army during the government of Mauricio Macri, General
Claudio Pasqualini
, asked to "attend and take care of" the personnel of the armed and security forces, demanded for them
the "recognition of the State"
that society is already providing, and warned that
half of the military "receives a salary that is below the poverty line
.
"
Pasqualini spoke during the presentation
of the Security and Defense Observatory of the
University of the Center for Macroeconomic Studies of Argentina (
UCEMA
), in which he participated together with Alejandro Corbacho and the president of UCEMA, Roque Fernández.
The general developed his presentation regarding the "care of the most valuable component", which according to his vision is the personnel of the armed forces, security and prison services.
"The value of a force is combat power. It has tangible and intangible components. Some are material and effective. The others have to do with morale, spirit, the degree of training. Deep down, they are often more important.
the human factor makes the difference
. All members of the forces are important ,
"Pasqualini began.
"The military and police come from the same origin, with the same defects and virtues as the rest of the Argentines. We are not a special caste.
We constantly receive gratitude, in the street, in the parades
. And the recognition of society is very important and that of the State, "he slipped.
"Three years ago a survey was conducted in the Army. Almost half said they wanted to defend the country. That shows with what spirit young people enter. It was also asked which aspects were the most discouraging:
the limitation of means to work
(divestment technical), the lack of recognition of the State and the people, "insisted the former retired general, who asked to pay special attention to the formation of military high schools, both intellectual and physical, but also in values:" they are fundamental. to form a healthy conscience. It is the best barrier against human weaknesses. "
Without particular references to the political situation, Pasqualini also believed that reducing expenses by downsizing staff is relatively easy, but adding it back is not easy.
"The selection has to be careful: the aspiring soldiers and policemen will have to carry weapons and will have to make many sacrifices. That is why they must be taken care of, so that they do not abandon the forces," he advised.
To finish his presentation, the general presented a kind of balance between what the military and security personnel give up and what they give up, the compensation they receive and what they expect.
"We have exclusive dedication; we work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Society owns our time.
We take risks to fulfill missions, and also
operating old materials that are not in condition
. And we have other restrictions:
we do not have freedom of expression or the right to strike
; the violation of laws causes us more serious consequences, in addition to being judged in two courts (civil and military). We have to set an example, have a special behavior on public roads. a reason for service.
It should be like this: a life of service,
"he stressed.
In return, the problems: "promotions to the highest ranks have a long delay. That generates a lot of discontent. In the armed forces
the promotions this year have not yet been made, and we are already in November
. There are also problems with assets: Differences between those charged by the armed forces, Security and Penitentiary Service. Now those who charge the least are the military. "
"
At this moment, 50% of the military is below the poverty line
. Another problem is the replacement of housing: it is important that the forces ensure service housing. And that at the end of their active life the military and gendarmes -they are the ones with the most transfers in their career- may have accessed their home. Also, they may have quality health care in any part of the country where it is their turn to serve the country. "
Dr. Corbacho, meanwhile, presented the academic objectives of the Observatory, which will be in charge of generating knowledge on both internal and external security issues: “We believe that knowledge on security and defense matters is key to understanding the current process of strategic transformation unprecedented, which presents enormous challenges and raises questions for national states, "he said and specified:" In the Argentine legal plexus there is a distinction between security and defense, but
we believe that it is important to consider them together
in order to identify all the challenges that may affect national interests ”.
Legislators, mutual holders, associations and clubs of personnel from the Armed Forces, Security and Police participated in the presentation; foreign military attachés and directors of study centers of universities and
think tanks
dedicated to security and defense.