From Aerospace to Reconstruction: Ethical Plans to Strengthen Defensive Capability

The name of Mehrdad Akhlaghi Kateb has once again come into focus following the president's nomination of him to head the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, a manager a significant part of whose professional background is tied to the structure

Ambassador Arjan of the Politics Group-Hadi Rezaei: Mehrdad Akhlik Ketabchi, the proposed minister of defense and support of the armed forces, with a long history in the defense and aerospace industries, is now on the threshold of the parliament's confidence test. In the special meeting of the representatives, he spoke about the re-creation of the Ministry of Defense, the reconstruction of the industrial infrastructure with the observance of passive defense, faster access to emerging technologies, the strengthening of air defense and attention to the livelihood of the employees and retirees of the armed forces; A set of priorities that show that his announced plan, in addition to developing defense capabilities, also emphasizes industrial management, productivity and human support.

From industrial experience to the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense

The review of the records of Mehrdad Ehalli Ketabchi, first of all, goes back to his years of activity in the country's defense and aerospace complexes. According to the information provided about his professional path, he has about 43 years of experience in these collections; A path that includes technical, research, design, project implementation and industrial management fields.

An important part of the ethical precedent has to do with rocket technology, especially solid fuel propellants. In the published information about him, about three decades of activity in this field and participation in the development process of missile technologies have been mentioned. Also, the names of Nazaat, Zelzal, Zulfiqar and Sajil missile families are mentioned in connection with his professional activity.

However, determining the direct moral contribution in the design or production of any of these systems requires official documents and descriptions of his responsibilities in the related projects. In the defense industry, the development of complex products is usually the result of the cooperation of a group of specialists and organizations, and all the achievements of a group cannot be attributed to one person without documentation.

In addition to the rocket field, activities related to space technologies, launchers and launch infrastructure have also been mentioned in his professional introduction. About his participation in the creation or development of Imam Khomeini's (RA) space base, there are also materials that need authentic documentation to confirm the details.

In November 2013, by the order of Hossein Dehghan, the then Minister of Defense, he was appointed as the CEO of the Aerospace Industries Organization of the Ministry of Defense. This responsibility is considered one of the important points of his management path and his experience in the structure of defense industries entered a new stage.

Managing such a complex requires coordination between research, design, production, supply and support departments. From this point of view, the experience of working in the defense industry can be effective in understanding the executive and industrial issues of the ministry; However, the evaluation of a manager's performance, in addition to his career records, also depends on the results of his responsibility period and executive plans.

Reconstruction of the Ministry of Defense and modernization of industrial infrastructure

In the special meeting of the parliament to explain his plans, while honoring the memory of the martyred leader and other martyrs, about accepting the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, Ekhli said that he was never interested in taking responsibility and if the representatives approve, he will carry out this mission with all his might.

He also explained that during the last two weeks he met with the military commanders and discussed their expectations. According to the proposed minister, these talks helped him to reach a conclusion about the possibility of carrying out the upcoming missions.

Ekhli announced that he has considered 16 priorities for the administration of the Ministry of Defense, one of the most important of which is the "recreation of the future Ministry of Defense".

This approach raises issues beyond the preservation of existing structures; including how to organize activities, adapting to technological developments, resource efficiency and responding to new defense needs. Of course, the realization of such a goal requires a specific implementation plan, schedule and evaluation indicators.

Another axis of his plan is the reconstruction of production and industrial infrastructures in compliance with the principles of passive defense. This issue is related to the necessity of maintaining the continuity of production and increasing the resilience of defense industries; A field that requires stable infrastructure, reliable supply chain and careful management of resources.

Ekhli also considered increasing productivity as one of his short-term priorities and emphasized on better use of existing facilities. From this point of view, his program follows two complementary directions: strengthening industrial infrastructure and more effective use of existing capacities.

Emerging technologies and defense strengthening

One of the notable parts of the proposed minister's speech was the emphasis on the speed of technology development and the transformation of new achievements into manufacturable products.

"Today we are only looking for products that we have the ability to produce and new technology within six months at the most," said Ekhli.

He called the connection of new and emerging technologies to the innovation process in defense systems as one of the important goals of his program in the remaining 22 months of the government's term.

This targeting emphasizes the importance of reducing the gap between research and production. In the defense industry, acquiring new technology is only the first step, and turning it into a reliable product requires design, testing, production and support. Therefore, the relationship between research centers, universities, knowledge-based companies and defense industries becomes important in realizing this goal.

Emphasizing the dynamism in research and innovation, Ehalli considered it necessary to use the capacity of universities and knowledge-based companies. According to him, the path of acquiring weapons and technology should be followed in such a way as to increase the resilience of the country against the enemy.

He also emphasized on the continuation of the production of equipment and support for the armed forces in the conditions of sanctions and said that despite 47 years of sanctions, our country has continued the production of equipment and missile support. According to him, provision of defense needs has been pursued with different methods and measures and this path will continue.

Regarding monitoring threats, the proposed Minister of Defense also said that developments related to the power and tools of the enemy will be followed in real time and the equipment of the armed forces will be updated according to the changes in these threats.

Strengthening air defense and private sector participation

Strengthening the air defense was one of the other axes raised in the moral speeches. He announced that this matter will be followed seriously through the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the follow-up of the allocation of budgets, and expressed hope that more attention will be devoted to this area in the coming period.

This program highlights the importance of coordination between the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces in meeting defense needs. The extent of its realization will also depend on the allocated resources, implementation plans and the development process of the required capacities.

Ekhli also emphasized the need to increase the participation of the private sector in the defense industry and said that this issue has been in the goals of the Ministry of Defense since the past years, but its importance has increased in the current situation.

The participation of the private sector and knowledge-based companies can expand the field of using the specialized capacities of the country; Of course, the scope of these collaborations should be determined according to security requirements, technical considerations and legal regulations.

Economic health and attention to the livelihood of the armed forces

In another part of his speech, the proposed Minister of Defense considered the economic health of the Ministry of Defense to be one of the important issues raised by the representatives and emphasized that he has followed this issue throughout his years of service. He also emphasized on increasing productivity and more serious monitoring of managers' performance.

This axis turns resource management and performance monitoring of affiliated collections into one of the important topics of the proposed program. The practical evaluation of these promises will require the specification of monitoring mechanisms, cost control and performance indicators.

In addition to economic and ethical issues, he considered paying attention to the livelihood, housing and treatment of the employees and retirees of the armed forces as equal to other axes of his program.

He announced the construction of housing for the employees of the armed forces as one of his work priorities and said that in this year's program of the armed forces, the assignment of 100,000 residential units has been proposed. He also emphasized on the use of the land and property capacity of the armed forces through productivity to provide the needed resources.

The implementation of these programs depends on the provision of financial resources, the determination of usable land, the timing of construction and handing over, and the coordination between the responsible institutions. Therefore, the fulfillment of welfare promises should also be measured based on implementation measures and evaluable results.

In explaining his approach to the war, Ehlik emphasized on following the views of the Martyr Imam and Supreme Leader of the Revolution and considered himself the executor of the Commander-in-Chief's orders.

Assembly exam; From records to executive programs

The introduction of Mehrdad Ehalli Ketabchi to the position of the Ministry of Defense has placed his experience in the defense and aerospace industries alongside his future plans. His industrial background, proposed specialized activities and management of the Aerospace Industries Organization are among the axes of his career review; But the final evaluation also depends on how this experience is transformed into implementation plans.

Reinventing the Ministry of Defense, modernizing production infrastructure, developing emerging technologies, strengthening air defense, economic health and improving the welfare of employees are among the most important priorities that he has raised in the parliament.

Now the main question is how these goals will be transformed into timed and measurable plans. Achieving the six-month target for producing new products, rebuilding infrastructure, and implementing the housing program all require resources, organizational coordination, and a clear monitoring mechanism.

Finally, the moral past records form part of the basis of his evaluation, but what will determine the possible path of his ministry is the ability to transform the declared priorities into practical results in the field of defense, industry and support of the armed forces; An issue that is of central importance in the process of examining the competence and vote of confidence of the parliament.