MOSCOW. April 14 (Interfax-AVN) - The Public Chamber of the Russian Federation has suggested that the conscription age should be increased from 18 to 20 years, Anatoly Kucherena, a layer heading the chamber's commission on public control over law enforcement in the country, told Interfax-Military News Agency Friday.
"This is a unanimous decision of the commission, approved of by the Council of the Public Chamber, and it will be discussed during the plenary meeting of the Chamber on April 15. The meeting will be attended by high-ranking officials of the Defense Ministry and other unformed agencies," Kucherena said.
According to him, the idea, first voiced by ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, is of great social importance and can improve the law and order in the Armed Forces, including where improvement of military discipline is concerned.
"At the age of 17-18 young men have quite vague understanding of their rights and duties, not to mention that they are still far from being mature psychologically," Kucherena said.
He added that during the first plenary meeting of the Chamber measures to improve discipline and order in the Russian Armed Forces will be discussed.
"We have elaborated a mechanism to ensure civil control over law and order in the Armed Forces. We suggest that social support of the youth should be enhanced, as well as some other measures taken in this regard," he stressed.
Lukin first voiced the idea that the conscription age should be increased from 18 to 20 or 21 years at a news conference in Moscow on February 28. The idea found support of Colonel General Valery Kulikov, chairman of the Defense Ministry's Central Military Medicine Commission, who told Interfax-AVN that from the medical standpoint this is also quite reasonable.
"In my opinion, the so-called psychological maturity comes to humans at the age of 20. So this is the best age to call them for military service," he said.
On the contrary, some legislators and military leaders are quite skeptical about the idea to raise the conscription age margin. For instance, Army General Nikolai Pankov, State Secretary and Deputy Defense Minister, noted that it is unwise to abolish the existing conscription age standard, because 18 years is quite all right. "The young men leave school at 18 and we enlist them. Upon resignation they will have lawful privileges to continue education," he said.