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Usefulness of conscript assessment method is also weighed by Ministry of Defence, a working group tasked with tackling the problem.
Activities of Defence Resources Agency (KRA) were, yesterday, criticised by both retired Lieutenant Colonel Leo Kunnas and Defence Forces psychologist Urve Kaur. The latter saying KRA work has become unbearable.
In her opinion article published by Postimees, Ms Kaur expressed her personal views which may not coincide with those of Defence Forces or the ministry. She underlined that the Thomas method used by KRA is actually unfit for use. According to the psychologist, work done by KRA feels «very formal». «I have talked about this to other psychologists, as well as medics. I am not the only one that is upset,» said she.
In 2009, a validation was ordered from University of Tartu and Estonian National Defence College. The results were shocking: the Thomas method is unusable in military context.
Minister of Defence Urmas Reinsalu is also aware that contradictory views have been expressed on fitness of definite psychological aids. To solve the problems, a working group has been summoned, composed of Defence Ministry, Defence Forces and KRA staff. According to the minister, he has met with Ms Kaur. «I have been discussing he observations and tasked a working group with investigating her viewpoints,» said he.
According to KRA director general Kairi Rikko, the analysis applied to conscripts is not unknown; rather, it is an internationally recognised assessment method, awarded a psychological test certificate by British Psychological Society. In Estonia, the method is in use since 2007; in no other countries do defence forces make use of it.
Military unit has last word
As revealed by a 2009 audit, the test’s precision in appointing conscripts to their posts is 79.4 per cent. In the director general’s estimation, this is a remarkably high level. According to her, the Thomas test is aimed to determine the initial distribution of the conscripts, as they are enrolled, assessing their conformity of profiles of squad leaders or drivers. «And, naturally, the final selection is done in military units, after basic training,» she added.
It was not only Thomas method that the Defence Forces psychologist Urve Kaur criticised. Namely: KRA medical committee is known for shining the green light on young men not fit for that. She points to a case of a one-armed youth enrolled in the army, having passed the KRA tests. «This is sheer mockery,» said Mr Kaur.
At the start of the current basic training cycle, Ms Kaur met a conscript whose eyes were officially «normal». The man was wearing glasses.
According to acting Defence Forces chief doctor Major Targo Lust, eyesight is not assessed by KRA, rather by eye doctors. Should problems arise, conscripts are obligated to secure an eye doctor’s certificate, to be presented to the medical committee. KRA mostly bases its assessments on family doctors’ certificates and decisions by medical specialist – should decisions and certificates lack restrictive diagnosis, these are unlikely to surface in the committee.
According to KRA director general, the committees employ experienced practising doctors, daily dealing with various cases. According to her it is unfounded to claim that military unit medics must perform further research to assess the health of conscripts.
Even so, retired Lieutenant Colonel Leo Kunnas is even more critical of KRA than Ms Kaur. In his estimation, the creation of KRA – separate from Defence Forces – was a mistake to begin with.. «I have always maintained this agency is not needed, as a separate institution, said Mr Kunnas.
He thinks that selection of conscripts should be the responsibility of defence districts, not of a separate institution. Even so, the new Defence Forces development plan prescribes the abolishing of defence districts.
The ministry’s main argument for creating the agency was the following: this being a civilian function, civilians ought to be in charge of selecting conscripts.
According to retired Lieutenant Colonel, the argument is not serious, as civilian control over the defence forces exists anyhow. «It cannot be claimed, in Estonia, that defence forces would be out of civilian control,» said Mr Kunnas.
Army esteems cooperation
Our Northern neighbours do use the defence district based model for selecting conscripts. According to Mr Kunnas, Finns have never encountered problems of army slipping out of civilian control.
Head of Defence Forces headquarters Igor Schvede, however, thinks it not right to charge defence districts with selecting conscripts.
According to him, the new planned Defence Forces structure allows to better support KRA in its tasks. Mr Schvede esteems the Defence Forces and KRA cooperation as constructive, with all issues regarding conscripts always nicely solved.