Ministry of Defence (Armenia)

Armenian army background is closely connected with Armenia’s statehood building, and it is impossible to imagine one without another. Both army and statehood building started in February 1988, when the struggle for Karabakh, statehood restoration, and national army formation began. Armenian army and statehood went a thorny way, which can be divided into three stages.  The first stage began in February 1988 and ended in May 1992. In that period, the security of Armenia’s and Nagorno Karabakh’s people became the key objective amid escalating tension between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.  The second stage is between June 1992 and May 1994, when already the independent Republic of Armenia along with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, being in an unannounced but de-facto state of war against Azerbaijan, embarked on building a national army.  The third stage started in 1994 and continues now. This period can be called a stage of national army its sustainable development, its strength buildup and officers’ qualification enhancement. Besides, at this stage, the gap between army and community is increasingly being bridged. After the truce was signed, the country’s leadership and military authorities concentrated their efforts on building a regular army. Necessary units were created in Armenia.  Each of these stages is remarkable for its peculiarities, logic of development, circumstances and even psychology. It would be wrong to view one of them more or less complicated since they are incomparable with each other because of many aspects. Developments and resources are incomparable as well.  Great importance is attached to education – trainees obtain theoretic knowledge. Special attention is paid to the ability to operate in difficult climatic conditions, in a bad weather and darkness.  Great significance is attached to the enhancement of commanders’ ability to analyze situations and make right and quick decisions gauging assumed effect.