Keghart“To secure peace is to prepare for war.”
Carl Von Clausewitz, the father of modern warfare
By Prof. Z. S. Andrew Demirdjian, Los Angeles, 7 October 2022
Azerbaijan’s current coercive diplomacy is forcing Armenia to accept a dilemma involving a difficult choice to be made between two alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones. Otherwise, there won’t be any peace treaty with Azerbaijan–and the missiles will continue raining over the people of Armenia.
The terms of the treaty are being dictated by the wayward and uncompromising President Ilham Aliyev who is benefiting from the situation in which no one is coming to the rescue of Armenia.
The prelude for Aliyev’s demands for the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan consisted of perpetrating an unprovoked military assault on September 13, 2022 on civilian infrastructure of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Geharkunik provinces (marzes).
Jermuk was hit the hardest. Four brave female soldiers were killed. The death and desecration of a female soldier named Anush Apetyan is testimony to the barbaric instincts of Azerbaijani forces, carried over from the days of Central Asia’s marauding nomads.
The treatment of Ms. Apetyan should earn the ire of the feminist organizations of the world; they should collectively condemn the brutal mutilation of women by subjecting them to rape, cutting off different organs, photographing them naked, and other sickeningly humiliating acts. The civilized world expects the same treatment of female soldiers as to that of male soldiers –with dignity and respect.
After two days of intense shelling, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to stop hostilities and to sign a ceasefire on September 14, 2022.
By September 17, the sporadic war caused Armenia 135 casualties and Azerbaijan suffered 77 deaths. However, the Armenian casualties have now revealed to be 207. Considering the small size of Armenia’s population, the loss is great.
All this time, none of the Western governments came to assist Armenia by trying to stop Azerbaijan. No one talked about sanctions for Azerbaijan’s wanton aggression against its peaceful neighbor. They all acted like a pussycat.
Now, Armenia finds itself facing the devil and the deep blue sea involving two alternatives, A and B.
Alternative A: 1. To accept the Azerbaijani position that the status of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) is mute: it does not exist anymore (Armenia to renounce its territorial demand of Artsakh 2. To provide the so-called Zangezur Corridor through Armenia’s Syunik province to connect the exclave Nakhichevan to Azerbaijan (i.e., a route through southern Armenia under the control of Azerbaijan’s government).
Alternative B: If Armenia fails to comply with the demands of Alternative A it will have to face the superior weapons of Azerbaijan.
Both alternative have created a dilemma for Armenia, a situation that requires a choice between two actions, neither of which will be a good solution. Azerbaijan has put Armenia between the devil and the deep blue sea: Either Armenia stops claiming Artsakh and allows the establishment of the Zangezur Corridor or face the Azeri “devil” incarnate, which potentially spells more death and destruction.
Neither Armenia’s distracted partner and ally Russia nor the United States, France, the United Nations including CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization of which Armenia is a member) responded decisively to stop the Aliyev from terrorizing beleaguered Armenia. Article #4 of this Russian-led security organization maintains that any attack on the territory of one member would be considered an attack on all members. But, when it comes to provide Armenia with military aid, the organization becomes impotent.
If Russia and the West continue putting up with warmonger Aliyev’s shenanigans, they would create a monster which would brutalize other nations as well.
This is not the only time Armenia has found itself alone facing the sons of the plundering barbarians of Central Asia. While it would be beneficial to continue to solve its problems through diplomacy, it would be the best approach to depend on itself for preserving the sovereignty of the homeland.
How can Armenia defend itself against Azerbaijanis combined drone forces of Turkey, Israel, and Pakistan? There is only one way to do that: either acquire combat drones (which are expensive), or to arm itself with anti-drone laser weapons (which are inexpensive).
If you want to be convinced about Armenia’s need for anti-drone laser weapons, read some of the following articles published in Keghart.org, USA Armenian Life Magazine, and other journals, which discuss the idea of acquiring combat drones and anti-drone weapons in detail by entering in “Search” Z. S. Andrew Demirdjian:
Expediting Artsakh’s Advancement in Armament
The Weapon to Turn the Tide of War
Armenia’s Ultimate Weapon Against Azerbaijan
The Armenian Defense Fund
A Strategy for National Security Against Azerbaijan’s Attack
Give Artsakh Wings for Victory Over the Enemy
The Trojan Horse at the Gates of Artsakh
Attack Drones for Artsakh’s Existential Defense
Drone Swarms for Artsakh’s Defense
The Dark Side of MNT: A Societal Perspective
Anti-Drone Devices for Artsakh’s Defense
Anti-Drone Laser Weapons for Artsakh
Of the above listed articles, the following two titles specifically focus onanti-drone weapons:
Anti-Drone Devices for Artsakh’s Defense
Anti-Drone Laser Weapons for Artsakh
These two titles present advantages, sources, and how to get them to arm the Armenian Defense Forces.
While combat drones are selling for about a million dollars apiece, anti-drone devices can be bought from China for less than a few thousand dollars.
In the last few years, competition in UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) has intensified between China and the United States. As a result, prices of drones and anti-drone weapons have plummeted.
A new laser-based anti-drone weapon from China is capable of targeting and destroying combat drones in a matter of seconds. The new system has a range of 1.2 miles and can destroy an enemy target in about five seconds.
Drone-based technologies are branching out into the military and civilian environments. In medicine, equipment like defibrillators can be deployed in urban settings. In remote areas, medicine and other supplies can be rushed where roads and infrastructure are poor. These and other applications are offshoots of defense-based innovations where the low cost of each drone coupled with no-onboard-human pilot make them very advantageous for defensive and offensive applications.
In the past decades, most of the drones were built by traditional military contractors and primarily sold to the world’s best-funded militaries. However, in recent conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and especially in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) have ushered in small commercial drones and combat militarized models have become key weapons on the battlefield for offensive, defensive, and reconnaissance purposes.
Granted combat drones are beyond Armenia’s means, but anti-drone weapons produced by China are affordable. China has been producing very reliable anti-drone devices, which bring down the most sophisticates killer drones decisively.
Unequivocally, Armenia will not abandon Artsakh, nor will it allow any betrayal of its sovereignty by agreeing to the building of Zangezur Corridor, which would leave Armenia with the alternative to face the threat of renewed war with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has taken Armenia as a hostage even though it is a member of the laughable CSTO, which is not interested in neutralizing the Azeri siege of Armenian territories: five of the six members of the organization are openly pro-Azerbaijan.
Armenia’s only hope for victory depends on arming its forces with laser-based technology weapons. Predicated on the principle of having a large army, augmented by mercenaries, the Romans created one of the most powerful empires. In modern times though, the size of the army does not matter that much. What decides victory or defeat is the use of modern weapons and equipment. In the 2020s, the Armenian soldiers fought with vintage Russian weapons against the composite military army of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, and a host of mercenaries who were armed with ultra-modern weapons provided mainly by Turkey and Israel.
In sum, Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian Diaspora have to get their act together to provide the Armenian soldiers with the right weapons for survival against genocidal enemies. So, please read about the ideas stated in the above listed articles and let us hear your voice on this significant national security issue facing our homeland, which, of course, includes Artsakh.
Although, I have cited the cliché before, it is worth repeating: If our beloved poet Yeghishe Charents (1897-1937) pays us a visit today to assess Armenia’s plight, he would declare with a deep sigh and a heavy heart: “Oh, Armenian people, your only salvation is in your unity–and in the possession of drone weapons.”
Picture in teaser In addition to a handheld anti-drone laser weapon battling an oncoming enemy drone, South Korea is coming up with a laser-based “Tommy gun-like” weapon to rapidly shoot down a group of approaching enemy combat drones. In tomorrow’s advanced drone technology, the above picture is the conceptual image of an anti-drone laser weapon which is designed to shoot down drone swarms. the illustration is by Hanwha Techwin of America, a subsidiary of Hanwha Techwin, a manufacturer of security and surveillance systems in Changwon, South Korea.
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