Army cleans up its act

  • 2001-02-15
  • Nick Coleman
RIGA - Preparing for the most comprehensive assessment yet of his countryÕs readiness to join NATO, LatviaÕs defense minister this week announced measures to improve communication between rank-and-file soldiers and the armyÕs top brass.

Hygiene and sanitation improvements at army bases are also a priority following an unexplained diphtheria outbreak last fall that hospitalized more than 100 National Defense Academy cadets.

Defense Minster Girts Kristov-skis announced Feb. 7 a plan that will allow soldiers at two battalions to elect an ombudsman to take their complaints on social matters to senior officers. The National Armed Forces headquarters battalion has already elected its representative and the Latvian battalion, which prepares soldiers for international peacekeeping missions, is to do so shortly.

Established with the assistance of the Norwegian army, the plan will encourage soldiers to voice concerns that might otherwise be ignored. In particular, Kristovskis said, it is intended to combat bullying, a problem that in the early 1990s was so serious a defense minister was forced to resign.

But bullying of new recruits has been eased by separating them from veteran troops, said Janis Sarts, deputy secretary of state at the Ministry of Defense.

ÒComparatively, bullying is now a very small problem,Ó he said. ÒIn recent years there have been only a few cases, but we want all possible precautions against it reviving. The ombudsmanÕs role will be much wider however, encompassing all aspects of soldiersÕ well-being - complaints about food, facilities, sports and so on.Ó

KristovskisÕ announcement preceded the visit of an assessment team which will this week examine LatviaÕs preparations for NATO membership.

ÒThis will be the first time NATO has taken an in-depth look at our defenses,Ó said Sarts.

Meanwhile, investigations into diphtheria outbreaks last September at the National Defense Academy, and another base at Aluksne have been inconclusive. Attention has now turned to improving living conditions, said Sarts.

ÒWe think Aluksne was infected when parents came to an open day a week before soldiers became ill. But as for the serious case at the defense academy there is no clarity. The international specialists we invited to help could not agree on a cause. The problems occurred despite our vaccination programs.

ÒWeÕre now addressing quality of life issues. Soldiers sleep in barracks 50 to a room, so weÕre upgrading toilets, bathrooms, interiors and creating single rooms at the defense academy. New kitchens with good hygiene standards will be particularly important, and upgrading medical care is another aspect. WeÕve already invested quite a lot and in two years we hope the situation will be much better.Ó

Life in the Latvian army has improved since a series of well-publicized bullying incidents resulted in soldiers being hospitalized in 1994, says Aivita Putnina, a senior lecturer at Latvia UniversityÕs social science faculty who researched the problem. But the persistence of health problems is unsurprising, she says.

ÒThe army is now more open. It tries to work with society, organizing festivals for the public in the summer. International peacekeeping operations have made it more prestigious to be a soldier. The lack of media reports of bullying suggest the problem has been dealt with, at least partly.

ÒBut health is probably still a problem. In the early 1990s soldiersÕ educational level was low and some were physically ill. Commanders told me only a third of soldiers could be trusted with a gun, and less than that were suitable for military service. Research into school-age children shows that the health of the age group being recruited for the army has actually worsened since then.Ó