The important mission of Mehrdad Ethaki in the Ministry of Defense/ What did he say about sanctions against Iran?

Continuation of equipment production, reconstruction of vulnerable infrastructures, development of emerging technologies and strengthening of air defense has faced the Ministry of Defense in war conditions with the strategic test of linking the operational needs of the armed forces to the industrial and technological capacities of the country; The mission proposed by the Minister of Defense, Mehrdad Akhali Ketabchi, based on 42 years of experience in this complex and the management experience of the Aerospace Industries Organization, plans to advance it.

According to Ambassador Arjan, the experience of recent wars has shown that the defense power of countries is not measured only by the number of available equipment or the possession of advanced technologies. Just-in-time production of equipment, maintenance of components, replacement of damaged capacities and adaptation to new threat modes are part of defense capability.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, in this context, the Ministry of Defense and Support of the Armed Forces, due to its mission to supply the armed forces, needs a manager who, while knowing the major missions of this organization, is also aware of the mechanism of the defense industry and the complexities of converting operational needs into products and technology. Familiarity with these processes can help shorten the decision-making process and better coordination between different departments; An issue that is more important in war conditions and time constraints.

For this reason, Mehrdad Akhlik Ketabchi, who was introduced to the Islamic Council by the 14th government to hold the position of the Ministry of Defense and Support of the Armed Forces, is one of the senior managers of this group and has the management of the Aerospace Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense. His managerial background in the defense industry, including the experience of working in the aerospace field and the management of related industrial complexes, is one of the axes that is considered in the review of his experience with the current missions of the Ministry of Defense.

defense strategy; Beyond the purchase and production of equipment

One of the basic issues in defense management is to have a clear strategy for setting priorities, and the efficiency of this set depends on how they are related and their suitability to the real needs of the country.

In fact, even having advanced equipment without a clear plan cannot meet long-term needs, but a strategy that connects operational needs, industrial power, financial resources, and scientific capacity of the country allows for more effective use of existing facilities.

This issue is more important in war situations. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense plays the role of intermediary between the needs of the armed forces and the industrial and technological capacities of the country. Therefore, one of the expectations from the minister is to be able to connect these two sectors within the framework of a coherent program.

The programs announced by Ethical also emphasize issues such as restructuring the structure of the Ministry of Defense, rebuilding production infrastructure with compliance with passive defense, developing emerging technologies, increasing productivity and strengthening cooperation with universities and knowledge-based companies. These axes show that in the proposed program, in addition to the continuation of current activities, a review of the management method and the promotion of production and technological capacities are also considered.

In a war situation, the clarity of these priorities can help prevent the dispersion of resources and focus available capacities on more important needs.

One of the remarkable features in the records of the proposed minister of defense is his long-term activity in industrial complexes affiliated with this ministry. His 42-year history of ethical presence in the Ministry of Defense, where he has had responsibilities in the sectors related to defense and aerospace industries and even assumed the CEO role of the Aerospace Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense, shows his mastery of the situation.

Knowing the internal structure of the ministry is important in managing such a complex because the Ministry of Defense consists of several departments that have different but related missions.

The minister who is elected from the body of this group is potentially familiar with some of these connections, capacities, limitations and executive mechanisms. This knowledge can help identify issues and set priorities at the beginning of the activity. Especially when the ministry is facing urgent missions.

In a situation where the country is faced with the necessity of maintaining defense readiness and strengthening production infrastructure, prior knowledge of the collections under the supervision of the ministry can reduce the gap between decision-making and implementation.

On the other hand, choosing a manager who is familiar with internal mechanisms can provide the possibility of faster follow-up of issues such as the reconstruction of production capacities and better use of existing facilities.

Also, Ehlik has been active in sectors related to defense industries and has also experienced the directorship of the Aerospace Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense.

The importance of this experience in the current situation should be found in the need of the Ministry of Defense to make decisions about new technologies and strengthen production capacity. A manager familiar with the aerospace field can use his technical and managerial knowledge in reviewing programs related to this sector and, in interaction with specialists, advance decisions with a greater understanding of the requirements of production and technology development.

Of course, the mission of the Ministry of Defense is not limited to the field of aerospace, but specialized experience in aerospace can help the general administration of the ministry when it is placed next to the ability to manage a diverse set of departments.

Therefore, industrial experience and knowledge of the aerospace field can be one of the management tools to establish this relationship, provided that the country's scientific capacity is connected to executive programs and technology development is aligned with the real defense priorities.

Referring to the continuation of sanctions, Mehrdad Ehalli said in a meeting to review his plans in the parliament that Iran has continued to produce missile equipment and support under these conditions. He emphasized that the supply of equipment needed by the armed forces to deal with threats is pursued using different methods and measures and this path will continue.

However, the continuity of production does not mean that all restrictions are ineffective; Rather, it highlights the necessity of planning to reduce vulnerable dependencies, diversification of supply sources and development of domestic power.

Another axis proposed by the proposed minister is increasing the participation of the private sector in the defense industry. The development of these cooperations, if the security and technical requirements are met, can provide the basis for the use of wider industrial and specialized capacities of the country. Knowledge-based companies and non-governmental industrial groups may also have capabilities in parts of the technology and production chain that can be used to help develop internal capacities.

In this context, the main issue is not increasing the number of collaborations and there should be a clear mechanism. The Ministry of Defense can provide a more targeted participation of these groups by knowing the available capacities.

The recent war and military developments have made it more necessary than ever to pay attention to defense preparedness and the ability to respond to changing threats. In the meantime, air defense is one of the areas whose strengthening has been emphasized in the announced plans proposed by the Minister of Defense.

At the parliament meeting, Ekhli announced that he will seriously pursue the issue of strengthening the air defense through the General Staff of the Armed Forces and follow up on the allocation of budgets, and expressed his hope that more attention will be paid to this area in the new term.

The importance of this issue is that the improvement of defense capability is not limited to a single action or purchase. Coordination between the responsible institutions is also necessary to transform the announced priorities into implementation plans.

At the same time, strengthening air defense should be part of a comprehensive look at defense readiness; A view that, while paying attention to immediate needs, also has a plan to maintain and develop capacities in the long term. Determining priorities based on assessment of needs and effective use of available resources is important in this direction.

Knowing the structure of the Ministry of Defense and the experience of working in the defense industry can be useful in pursuing these programs, especially in communicating the needs announced by the armed forces and the capabilities of the industrial and technological sectors.

One of the main axes of the proposed moral program is the reorganization and regeneration of the Ministry of Defense and the reconstruction of the production infrastructure in compliance with passive defense. The plan of this issue shows that along with the continuation of the current activities, the revision of the structure and increasing the resilience of the infrastructure is also on the announced agenda.

In a situation where industrial infrastructures are facing various threats, continuity of activity requires planning to maintain production capacities and reduce their vulnerability.

On the other hand, technological changes occur at a high speed and defense organizations are forced to adapt themselves to these developments. In the parliament, Ekhli talked about setting goals to achieve new products and technologies within a maximum period of six months and listed the development of emerging technologies and innovation in defense systems as the goals of his program for the remaining period of the government.

Such a goal, if it becomes an executive program and fits the existing capacities, can emphasize the necessity of shortening the distance between research, development and production.

Meanwhile, increasing productivity is also important. Better utilization of existing capacities, identification of unnecessary costs and effective monitoring of managers' performance can help in more targeted use of resources. Ekhli has also emphasized on pursuing the economic health of the Ministry of Defense and strengthening the supervision of managers' performance.

Ekhli had previously announced that the program approved by Martyr Aziz Nasirzadeh for the Ministry of Defense, by applying the necessary reforms according to the conditions caused by the 12-day war and the Ramadan war, has become the basis of the proposed program. Referring to Nasirzadeh's activities during his tenure, he said that with the cooperation of other officials of the ministry, the previous plan with the necessary changes was presented to the parliament and its path will continue until the end of the 14th government and after that.

From a management perspective, this approach emphasizes the importance of maintaining the continuity of organizational plans along with revising them according to new conditions. In a ministry with strategic missions, changing the manager should not mean stopping the running programs or losing the accumulated experience. On the other hand, new conditions may also necessitate a review of some priorities, schedules and implementation methods.

The combination of continuity and modification, if based on a careful assessment of performance needs and results, can help maintain organizational stability and adapt to new developments.

The introduction of Mehrdad Ehlikhi Ketabchi as the proposed Minister of Defense was done in a situation where the continuation of production, reconstruction of infrastructure, strengthening of air defense, development of defense technologies and maintaining the readiness of the armed forces are among the most important issues of the country.

His experience in the body of the Ministry of Defense and the management of the Aerospace Industries Organization are among the records that can be considered in evaluating his ability to manage this ministry. Familiarity with industrial and technological structures, knowledge of a part of the production chain and experience in managing specialized collections are the capacities that are used in the beginning of responsibility and follow-up of executive programs.

In the current situation, the Ministry of Defense needs a strategy that connects the immediate needs of the field, domestic production capacity, technology development and maintaining long-term readiness. Having equipment is an important part of this strategy, but without production infrastructure, technical know-how, stable supply chain and specialized human resources, it will be difficult to maintain and improve this capability.

From this point of view, industrial experience and familiarity with the structure of the Ministry of Defense can be one of the supports for the implementation of the proposed programs. Now, the examination of the moral competence in the parliament is an opportunity to make a more detailed evaluation about the details of the programs, the way of providing resources and the mechanism of achieving the goals, in addition to his records; An issue whose result should be reflected in the performance of the ministry and the degree of realization of the country's defense priorities.