Armenian Army - Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. The army was created on January 28, 1992, a few months after independence was declared in the republic. When creating it, first of all, such a circumstance as the geographical position of Nagorno-Karabakh, the forces of which needed support in the fight against the claims of Azerbaijan, was taken into account. However, a more long-term goal was set - the development of an independent military policy.
Over time, it developed into a small, but perfectly balanced, combat-ready defense force. As noted in the military department, at the planning stage, the Armenian army should have become self-sufficient (defensively) in order to be able to repel attacks from Azerbaijan and Turkey on its own.
Radical nationalists advocated a more aggressive stance similar to the Israeli one, arguing that the Armenian land was surrounded by enemies and the armed forces should be in the highest degree of readiness in order to be able to deliver devastating blows to the enemy within a few days. Both concepts were similar in that the Armenian army should be small, maneuverable, and have excellently trained units. However, it turned out that initially 30,000 soldiers were in active military service, and by 1994 their number had reached 35,000.
The formation of the Armenian army took place in three stages. In February 1988, with the outbreak of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, units were formed
by the Armenian militants to combat Azerbaijani forces in the region. At the second stage, when immediately after the
declaration of independence, Armenia was drawn into the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the army of Armenia was created - as an urgent need. Vazgen Zavenovich Sargsyan was appointed Minister of Defense, after his death in a terrorist act, he was Vazgen Mikaelovich Manukyan, and Norat Ter-Grigoryants became his deputy.
After the war ended, Armenia entered the third stage of army reform, which continues to this day. Most of the senior officers are people who served in the USSR army. In accordance with agreements with its strategic allies, more than 1,500 officers were sent from the republic to study in Russia and Greece. By 1994, the Ministry of Defense had set the task according to which the number of military personnel should have increased to 50,000, and in a wartime situation, supplemented by a draft reserve.
It was necessary to strengthen control over the historical Zangezur region, located on the border with Iran. The program to increase defense forces also included the construction of new military facilities, especially on the Iran-Armenia border, a new bridge and gas pipeline to Iran. During the war, the Armenian military constantly remained on high alert, strengthening the defense in the Zangezur region, opposite the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan (in the west).
The army of Armenia is organized in much the same way as the armed forces of other countries that were part of the USSR. But there is an exception: the list of army units is somewhat reduced. Today, Armenia successfully implements the government plan to modernize its armed forces with a modern weapon. The country remains in the most cordial ties with the Russian Federation, which gives it the right to purchase Russian weapons at reduced prices, if not even for free.