On January 28, Army Day was celebrated by the Republic of Armenia, the closest partner of the Russian Federation in the Transcaucasus. Exactly fifteen years ago, on January 6, 2001, Armenian President Robert Kocharian signed the Law “On Holidays and Memorable Days of the Republic of Armenia”. In accordance with this law, the Army Day was established, celebrated on January 28 - in honor of the adoption on January 28, 1992 of the decree "On the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia", from which the modern Armenian army began its official history. As noted on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, the history of the Armenian army is inextricably linked with the very emergence of modern Armenian statehood. In the twentieth century, the sovereign Armenian state arose twice - the first time after the end of the Russian Empire in 1918, and the second time after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Accordingly, in both cases the creation of the armed forces of sovereign Armenia took place. Below we will describe the process of the formation of the Armenian national army in 1918 and in the modern period of the country's history.
Army of the "First Republic"
The independence of the Republic of Armenia (in history - the First Republic of Armenia) was officially proclaimed on May 28, 1918, after the collapse of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federal Republic. Existing for just over a month, from April 22 to May 26, 1918, the ZDFR included the lands of modern Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan and was dissolved at the request of Turkey. After the dissolution of the ZDFR, the independence of the three republics - Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan - was proclaimed. Republic of Armenia in 1919-1920 included in its composition the lands of the former Erivan, Elizavetpol, Tiflis provinces, Kars region of the Russian Empire. In addition, in accordance with the Treaty of Sevres of 1920, parts of the Van, Erzurum, Trabzon and Bitlis vilayets of the Ottoman Empire, which were part of historical Western Armenia, also became part of the Republic of Armenia. After the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Armenia, the question of creating its regular army arose, especially since in May 1918 a Turkish offensive against Eastern Armenia was launched.
The army of the First Republic of Armenia was formed from volunteer detachments that were tested in battles near Sardarapat, Karaklis and Bash-Aparan from May 21 to 29, 1918. Its immediate predecessor was the famous Armenian Volunteer Corps, formed at the end of 1917 from among the Armenian volunteers who arrived throughout the First World War from all over the world. The Armenian corps consisted of 2 infantry divisions - under the command of General Aramyan and Colonel Silikyan, respectively, the cavalry brigade of Colonel Gorganian, the Western Armenian division of General Ozanyan, Akhalkalaki, Lori, Khazakh and Shushi regiments, the Yezidi Jhangira under the command of the Yezidi Jhangira. After the Erzincan truce between Russia and Turkey, concluded on December 5 (18), 1917, the Russian troops of the Caucasian Front began a massive withdrawal from Transcaucasia. After the termination of the existence of the Caucasian Front, in fact, it was the Armenian Corps that became the main obstacle to the advance of the Turkish troops into the Caucasus. In the Kara-Kilis, Bash-Abaran and Sardarapat battles, the Armenian corps defeated the Turkish troops and was able to stop their advance into Eastern Armenia. Subsequently, it was the fighters of the Armenian corps who made up the backbone of the Armenian national army. The former commander of the Armenian Volunteer Corps, Major General of the Russian Imperial Army Foma Nazarbekov (Tovmas Ovanesovich Nazarbekyan, 1855-1931), promoted to lieutenant general of the Armenian army, was appointed commander-in-chief of the Armenian army. Tovmas Nazarbekyan came from an Armenian noble family living in Tiflis, and received a good military education at the 2nd Moscow Military Gymnasium and the Alexander Military School. While serving in the Russian army, he had a chance to participate in the Russian-Turkish and Russian-Japanese wars, and in 1906 the 51-year-old major general retired. Then he did not yet know that after 8 years, at almost sixty, he would have to put on a uniform again. With the outbreak of World War I, Major General Nazarbekov became the commander of a brigade, then a division and a corps that fought on the Caucasian front. Taking into account the authority of the general among the Armenian population and military personnel, it was he who was appointed commander of the Armenian Volunteer Corps. After the proclamation of the political independence of the Republic of Armenia, the general continued to serve in the Armenian army, making a colossal contribution to its organization and strengthening.
By June 1918, the Armenian army numbered 12 thousand soldiers. Gradually, its number only increased - it soon reached 40 thousand people, and the officer corps consisted largely of former officers of the tsarist army - both Armenians and ethnic Russians. As for weapons, its main sources were the warehouses of the Russian troops that were part of the Caucasian Front. General Andranik Ozanyan later recalled that the Russian army, leaving the Caucasus, left here 3000 artillery pieces, 100 thousand rifles, 1 million bombs, 1 billion cartridges and other weapons and equipment. In addition, Britain, originally interested in strengthening Armenia as a counterweight to Ottoman Turkey, helped with arming the emerging Armenian army. Lieutenant General Movses Mikhailovich Silikyan (Silikov, 1862-1937), Major General of the Russian Imperial Army, of Udin by origin, is usually named among the most prominent military leaders of the Armenian army of the period of the “First Republic”; Drastamat Martirosovich Kanayan (1883-1956, aka "General Dro") - the legendary Dashnak, who later became the commissar of the Armenian corps, and then - in 1920 - the Minister of War of the Republic of Armenia; Colonel Arsen Samsonovich Ter-Poghosyan (1875-1938), who commanded the detachments that stopped the Turkish army's attack on Yerevan in May 1918; Major General Andranik Torosovich Ozanyan (1865-1927) - however, this commander had very complicated relations with the government of the Republic of Armenia, therefore he can be considered not so much as the commander of the Armenian army formation, but as the head of individual armed formations created on the basis of the Western Armenian division …
The history of the First Republic of Armenia is the history of practically incessant wars with its neighbors. In May-June 1918 and September-December 1920, the Armenian army took part in the war with Turkey. In December 1918, Armenia fought with Georgia, in May-August 1918 - with Azerbaijan and the "Arak Republic" of the Azerbaijanis of Nakhichevan, in March - April 1920 - in the war with Azerbaijan, which unfolded on the territory of Nakhichevan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur and Ganja district. Finally, in June 1920, Armenia had to fight Soviet Azerbaijan and the RSFSR in Nagorno-Karabakh. In the battles, the small republic had to defend its independence and territories, which were claimed by much larger neighboring states. In September 1920, the Armenian-Turkish war began. The 30,000-strong Armenian army invaded the territory of Turkish Armenia, but the Turks managed to organize a powerful counteroffensive and soon the Turkish troops were already threatening Armenia itself. The government of the republic appealed for help "to the entire civilized world." at the same time, both Armenia and Turkey rejected the offer of mediation by Soviet Russia. On November 18, the Armenian government, having lost two-thirds of its territory in two months, signed an armistice agreement, and on December 2 - the Alexandropol Peace Treaty, according to which the territory of Armenia was reduced to the Erivan and Gokchin regions. The agreement also provided for the reduction of the armed forces of Armenia to 1.5 thousand soldiers and officers, and their armament - to 8 artillery pieces and 20 machine guns. Such insignificant military forces made sense to exist only to suppress possible internal unrest, they would not be able to protect Armenia from the attack of the Turkish army. At the same time, although the government of independent Armenia signed the Treaty of Alexandropol, it no longer controlled the real situation in the republic. On December 2, in Erivan, an agreement was signed between Soviet Russia (RSFSR) and the Republic of Armenia on the proclamation of Armenia as a Soviet socialist republic. The government of the Armenian SSR refused to recognize the Peace of Alexandropol. Only on October 13, 1921, with the participation of the RSFSR, the Treaty of Kars was signed, which established the Soviet-Turkish border. Together with the First Republic of Armenia, the Armenian armed forces also ceased to exist. Natives of Armenia, as well as representatives of the Armenian people living in other republics of the USSR, until 1991 served in the units of the Soviet Army and the Navy on a general basis. The contribution of the Armenian people to the construction, development and strengthening of the Soviet armed forces, to the victory over Nazi Germany is invaluable. During the Great Patriotic War, 106 Armenians were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Who does not know Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Khristoforovich Baghramyan? Many people know the name of Gukas Karapetovich Madoyan, the battalion under whose command was the first to break into Rostov-on-Don, liberated from the Nazis.
Towards building your own army
After the proclamation of the political independence of the Republic of Armenia, the process of creating the national armed forces began. In fact, the history of the modern Armenian army is rooted in the volunteer detachments that were formed during the struggle for Karabakh, or, as the Armenians themselves call it, Artsakh. It turns out that the modern Armenian army was born in difficult times, in the fire of armed confrontation. In accordance with the official history of the modern Armenian armed forces, they have gone through three stages of their formation and development. The first stage chronologically falls on February 1988 - March 1992 - at a difficult time of aggravation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations due to the development of the Karabakh conflict. Ensuring the military security of the Armenian population in the face of a real threat from a much larger Azerbaijan at that time was an extremely urgent task that required the creation and strengthening of Armenian armed formations capable of protecting the territory and civilians from possible aggression. At the second stage, which lasted from June 1992 to May 1994, the formation of the national army of Armenia took place. At the same time, an undeclared but brutal and bloody war between the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Armenia with neighboring Azerbaijan was waged. Finally, the third stage in the development of the Armenian national army lasts from June 1994 to the present. At this time, the organizational structure of the Armenian army was strengthened, its organic integration into the institutional structure of the Armenian state and society, the development of combat training, combat cooperation with the armed forces of other states.
The adoption of the Declaration of Independence marked new opportunities and prospects for the creation and improvement of the Armenian army. In September 1990, the Yerevan Special Regiment and five rifle companies were formed, stationed in Ararat, Goris, Vardenis, Ijevan and Meghri. In 1991, the government of the Republic of Armenia made a decision to form the State Defense Committee under the Council of Ministers. This structure was supposed to be responsible for organizing the defense of the republic and became the prototype of the country's defense ministry later formed. On December 5, 1991, the chairman of the parliamentary defense commission, Vazgen Sargsyan (1959-1999), was appointed to lead the republican defense department. Before the start of the war in Karabakh, the first minister of defense of the republic was a man far from military affairs. He graduated from the Yerevan State Institute of Physical Culture in 1980 and in 1979-1983. taught physical education in his native Ararat. In 1983-1986. he was the secretary of the Komsomol at the Ararat cement-slate plant, in the same 1983 he joined the USSR Writers' Union. 1986-1989 headed the department of journalism of the literary socio-political magazine "Garun". In 1990 he became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR, heading the standing commission on defense and internal affairs. In the same 1990, Sargsyan became the commander of the volunteer detachments of the Yerkrapah militia, and in 1991-1992. headed the Ministry of Defense of Armenia. Sargsyan again headed the power structures in 1993-1995. - In the status of the State Minister of the Republic of Armenia for Defense, Security and Internal Affairs, and in 1995-1999. - in the status of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.
On January 28, 1992, the government of Armenia made a decision to establish the Ministry of Defense and the National Army. For the formation of the armed forces, the armed structures that existed in the republic were transferred to the subordination of the Armenian Ministry of Defense - the regiment of the patrol and guard service of the militia of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, the operational special purpose regiment, the civil defense regiment, the republican military commissariat. In May 1992, the first conscription of young citizens of the republic for military service was held. It should be noted that the weapons and infrastructure for the formation of the national army were largely abandoned by the withdrawn Soviet troops. By the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the following were stationed on the territory of Armenia: 1) the 7th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Transcaucasian Military District, which included the 15th Motorized Rifle Division in Kirovakan, the 127th Motorized Rifle Division in Leninakan, the 164th Motorized Rifle Division in Yerevan, 7th and 9th fortified areas); 2) the 96th anti-aircraft missile brigade of the 19th separate air defense army; 3) a separate mechanized civil defense regiment in Yerevan; 4) Meghri, Leninakan, Artashat, Hoktemberyan border detachments of the border troops of the Transcaucasian border district of the KGB of the USSR; 5) a motorized rifle regiment of operational assignment of the internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, a separate motorized special police battalion in Yerevan, a battalion of protection of important state facilities, which served to ensure the security of the Armenian nuclear power plant. From parts of the Soviet Army, the young sovereign state got military equipment: from 154 to 180 (according to various sources) tanks, from 379 to 442 armored vehicles of various types (armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, etc.), 257-259 artillery pieces and mortars, 13 helicopters. The recently created Ministry of Defense of the republic had a lot of work to do to form the country's armed forces and strengthen their organizational structure. At the same time, Armenia was in a state of actual war with Azerbaijan, which required a colossal strain of human and material resources.
Personnel came from the Soviet Army
One of the most serious problems that the Armenian armed forces faced in the process of their construction was the replenishment of the personnel resources of the national army. As it turned out, it was no less difficult task than the organization of the system of material support and armament of the national army. In order to fill vacancies for junior, senior and senior officers, the government of the republic turned to former professional soldiers of the Soviet Army who had the appropriate education, training and experience in military service. Many officers and warrant officers, who were already in reserve, responded to the call of the country's leadership and joined the ranks of the armed forces being formed. Among them are many officers and generals, whose names are associated with the formation and development of the national army of Armenia.
For example, Major General Gurgen Arutyunovich Dalibaltayan (1926-2015), who returned from the reserve of the Soviet Army, took the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Defense Committee under the Council of Ministers, and then the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, who was awarded the military rank in 1992 lieutenant general of the army of Armenia. Despite his age, and Gurgen Dalibaltayan was already over 65 years old, the general made a significant contribution to the building of the national armed forces, using his colossal experience of forty years of service in the ranks of the Soviet Army. Gurgen Dalibaltayan, who graduated from the Tbilisi Infantry School, began his service in 1947 as a platoon commander of the 526th separate regiment of the 89th Taman Infantry Division of the Transcaucasian Military District, stationed in Echmiadzin. For 40 years, he consistently passed all the steps of a military command career: commander of a training company (1951-1956), company commander of the 34th rifle regiment of the 73rd mechanized division (1956-1957), chief of staff of a battalion (1957-1958), student of the Military academy named after M. V. Frunze (1958-1961), battalion commander of the 135th regiment of the 295th motorized rifle division (1961-1963), deputy regiment commander of the 60th motorized rifle division (1963-1965), regiment commander (1965-1967), deputy commander of the 23- 1st motorized rifle division (1967-1969), commander of the 242nd motorized rifle division in the Siberian military district (1969-1975). In 1975, Major General Dalibaltayan was appointed first deputy chief of staff of the Soviet Southern Group of Forces in Budapest, and in 1980-1987. He served as deputy commander of the troops of the North Caucasus Military District for combat training, with which in 1987 he entered the reserve of the Armed Forces of the USSR.
In addition to General Dalibaltayan, many other generals and colonels of the Soviet Army of Armenian nationality entered the service of the newly created armed forces of Armenia, who considered it their duty to make a feasible contribution to strengthening the national army and increasing its combat effectiveness. Among them, it should be noted, first of all, Lieutenant General Norat Grigorievich Ter-Grigoryants (born 1936). A graduate of the Ulyanovsk Guards Tank School in 1960, Norat Ter-Grigoryants rose from a tank platoon commander to a tank regiment commander, chief of staff and commander of a motorized rifle division, served as first deputy chief of staff of the Turkestan Military District, chief of staff of the 40th Army in the DRA, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Ground Forces of the USSR Armed Forces - Chief of the Organizational and Mobilization Directorate (in this position in 1983, Norat Ter-Grigoryants was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General of the Soviet Army). At the end of 1991, Norat Ter-Grigoryants responded to the proposal of the republican leadership of Armenia to take part in the construction of the national armed forces, after which he left Moscow for Yerevan. On August 10, 1992, by the decree of the President of Armenia, he was appointed Commander of the Armed Forces of Armenia. Then General Ter-Grigoryants replaced General Dalibaltayan as the country's first deputy defense minister - chief of the General Staff. It is impossible not to name among those who stood at the origins of the Armenian national armed forces such figures as Generals Mikael Harutyunyan, Hrach Andreasyan, Yuri Khachaturov, Mikael Grigoryan, Artush Harutyunyan, Alik Mirzabekyan and many others.
During 1992, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia created rear services and armaments, branches of the armed forces, the structure of military units, carried out the first draft for military service, formed the country's border troops. However, in June 1992 the most difficult period of armed confrontation with Azerbaijan began. The armed forces of Azerbaijan, more numerous and well-equipped, went on the offensive. Under the blows of superior enemy forces, the Armenian units retreated from the territory of the Martakert region, at the same time evacuating the civilian population. Nevertheless, despite the incomparable scale of human and economic resources, Armenia managed to take revenge, largely thanks to the courage of the Armenian soldiers and officers, who demonstrated numerous examples of heroism. At the end of March 1993, the Kelbajar operation was carried out. In June 1993, under the blows of the Armenian army, Azerbaijani troops retreated from Martakert, in July they left Aghdam, in August-October they left Jabrail, Zangelan, Kubatlu and Fizuli. Trying to "recoup" the defeats, in December 1993 the Azerbaijani army again launched an unprecedented offensive that lasted five months. The Armenian army again won a victory over the enemy, after which on May 19, 1994 in Moscow the defense ministers of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on a ceasefire.
What is the Armenian army
However, the end of the open armed confrontation with Azerbaijan did not mean that at any moment the neighboring state, gaining strength and enlisting the support of its allies, would not undertake a new attempt at revenge. Therefore, Armenia could not relax in any way - active work continued in the country to further strengthen and develop the national armed forces. The Russian Federation provided invaluable assistance in arming the Armenian army. Only in 1993-1996. the armed forces of Armenia received the following weapons from the Russian Federation: 84 main T-72 tanks, 50 BMP-2 units, 36 - 122-mm D-30 howitzers, 18 - 152-mm D-20 howitzers, 18 - 152-mm D-1 howitzers, 18 - 122-mm 40-barreled MLRS BM-21 Grad, 8 launchers of the 9K72 operational-tactical missile system and 32 R-17 (8K14) guided ballistic missiles for them, 27 launchers of a medium-range military air defense system " Circle "(brigade set) and 349 anti-aircraft guided missiles for them, 40 anti-aircraft guided missiles for the Osa short-range air defense system, 26 mortars, 40 Igla MANPADS and 200 anti-aircraft guided missiles for them, 20 easel grenade launchers (73-mm anti-tank SPG-9 or 30-mm automatic anti-personnel AGSM7). Small arms and ammunition were provided: 306 machine guns, 7910 assault rifles, 1847 pistols, more than 489 thousand various artillery shells, about 478, 5 thousand 30-mm shells for BMP-2, 4 self-propelled anti-tank missile systems, 945 anti-tank guided missiles of various types, 345, 8 thousand hand grenades and more than 227 million cartridges for small arms. In addition, it is known about the purchases by the Armenian armed forces of Su-25 attack aircraft in Slovakia and heavy MLRS in the People's Republic of China. As for the size of the country's armed forces, in accordance with the text of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, the maximum number of the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia is set at 60 thousand people. In addition, the maximum quantities of weapons and military equipment have also been set: main tanks - 220, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles - 220, artillery systems with caliber over 100 mm - 285, attack helicopters - 50, combat aircraft - 100.
The recruitment of the armed forces of Armenia is carried out on a mixed basis - through conscription and through the recruitment of professional military officers, warrant officers, sergeants for service under contract. The mobilization capabilities of the Armenian army are estimated at 32,000 people in the nearest reserve and 350,000 in the full reserve. The number of the country's armed forces in 2011 was estimated at 48,850 troops. The Armed Forces of Armenia consist of ground forces, air forces, air defense forces and border troops. The country's ground forces include four army corps, including 10 motorized infantry regiments and 1 artillery brigade. The ground forces of Armenia are armed with 102 T-72 tanks; 10 T-55 tanks; 192 BMP-1; 7 BMP-1K; 5 BMP-2; 200 BRDM-2; 11 BTR-60; 4 BTR-80; 21 BTR-70; 13 self-propelled ATGM 9P149 "Shturm-S"; 14 MLRS WM-80; 50 MLRS BM-21 "Grad"; 28 152mm ACS 2S3 "Akatsia"; 10 122mm ACS 2S1 "Carnation"; 59 122 mm D-30 howitzers; 62 units 152 mm guns 2A36 and D-20.
The air force of Armenia appeared much later than the land forces of the country. The process of their creation began in the summer of 1993, but the Armenian Air Force officially began its journey on June 1, 1998. The Armenian Air Force is based on two bases - "Shirak" and "Erebuni", and also includes a training aviation squadron, aviation commandant's offices, airfield maintenance battalions, and an aviation repair enterprise. The Armenian Air Force has 1 MiG-25 interceptor fighter, 9 Su-25K attack aircraft, 1 Su-25 UB combat training attack aircraft, 4 L-39 training aircraft; 16 TCB Yak-52; 12 multipurpose attack helicopters Mi-24, 11 multipurpose Mi-8 helicopters, 2 multipurpose Mi-9 helicopters.
The Air Defense Forces of Armenia were created in May 1992 and by now they are actually a revived Soviet air defense system covering the territory of Armenia. The air defense of Armenia includes 1 anti-aircraft missile brigade and 2 anti-aircraft missile regiments, 1 separate radio engineering brigade, 1 separate missile detachment. The country's air defense system is included in the joint air defense system of the CSTO, carries out combat duty and control over the airspace of the Republic of Armenia. The air defense forces are armed with: 55 missile launchers (eight C-75 air defense missile systems, 20 C-125 air defense missile launchers, 18 Krug air defense missile systems, nine Osa air defense systems), two S-300 anti-aircraft missile system divisions, 18 air defense systems Krug, 20 S-125 air defense missile launchers, 8 S-75 air defense missile launchers, 9 Osa air defense missile systems, 8 operational-tactical complexes 9K72 Elbrus, 8 mobile launchers OTK R-17 Scud.
The border troops of Armenia protect the state borders of the country with Georgia and Azerbaijan. In addition, there are Russian troops in Armenia protecting the state border of the country with Iran and Turkey. It should be noted that on the territory of Armenia, in accordance with the Treaty on the Legal Status of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Territory of Armenia, signed on August 21, 1992, and the Treaty on the Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of Armenia dated March 16, 1995, there are units of the Russian army. The base of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri was the 127th motorized rifle division, which was part of the Transcaucasian Military District. Initially, the agreement on the military base of the Russian army in Armenia was concluded for a period of 25 years, then it was extended until 2044. Russian military personnel are called upon to ensure the defense of the Republic of Armenia; in the event of any external threat to Armenia, this threat will be considered as an attack on the Russian Federation. However, the presence of a Russian military base does not negate the need for further development and improvement of the Armenian armed forces.
How to become an Armenian officer?
Practically from the first days of the existence of the national army of Armenia, the question of training its personnel, first of all, officers, arose sharply. Despite the fact that many officers and warrant officers who had previously served in the Soviet Army and had extensive experience in military service immediately entered the country's army, the need for replenishing the officer corps with young commanders also became obvious. In addition to the fact that the training of officers of the country's armed forces was started in the military educational institutions of the Russian Federation, a number of military educational institutions were opened in Armenia itself. First of all, this is the Military Institute. Vazgen Sargsyan. Its history began on June 24, 1994, when the government of Armenia decided to create a military educational institution on the territory of the country. On June 25, 1994, the Higher Military Diversified Command School (VVRKU) was formed.
It trained future officers - specialists in 8 profiles. The VVRKU of the RA Ministry of Defense was reorganized into the Military Institute, which has been named after Vazgen Sargsyan since 2000. Since May 29, 2001, according to the order of the Minister of Defense of the country, the Military Institute has been training cadets in two specialties - motorized rifle and artillery. At present, the Military Institute has 2 faculties - the Combined Arms Department with 4 departments and the Artillery Department with 3 departments, and in addition there are 3 separate departments. At the combined-arms faculty, officers are trained - future commanders of motorized rifle, tank, reconnaissance, engineering platoons, engineers of tracked and wheeled military vehicles. The term of study is 4 years. The artillery faculty provides training for commanders of artillery platoons, engineers of tracked and wheeled military vehicles, also lasting 4 years. Graduates of the Military Institute are awarded the military rank of "lieutenant" if they successfully pass the final examinations, after which they serve to serve in various positions in the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia. In addition, at the Military Institute there are officers' courses designed for one year of study, where conscripts with higher education undergo military training. Civilian young people under the age of 21 and military personnel under the age of 23 with secondary education and fit for military service in officer positions have the right to enroll in a university. The head of the institute is Major General Maxim Nazarovich Karapetyan.
The training of the officers of the Air Force of Armenia is carried out at the Military Aviation Institute named after Armenak Khanperyants. The need for qualified personnel of the national military aviation led to the creation in the spring of 1993 of the Military Aviation Center of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, which became the first military educational institution in the country. The center was established on the basis of the republican aero club and the Arzni airfield, which were transferred under the control of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia. In 1994, the training center was given the status of a secondary specialized educational institution and a new name - Yerevan Military Aviation Flight Technical School with a training period of 3 years. In 2001, the school was transformed into the Military Aviation Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, and the term of study was increased to 4 years. In 2002, the institute began training communications officers, and in 2005, officers for the air defense forces. In 2005 the institute was named after Marshal Armenak Khanperyants. Currently, the Military Aviation Institute includes 4 faculties. At the faculty of general education, general training of cadets is carried out in military and engineering disciplines, and at the aviation faculty, the faculty of communications and the faculty of air defense, specialized training of cadets is carried out. The post of the head of the institute is occupied by Colonel Daniel Kimovich Balayan, who until the proclamation of the independence of the republic, led the activities of the Yerevan flying club.
The Military Institute and the Military Aviation Institute are the main military educational institutions of the Republic of Armenia. In addition, the military medical faculty of the Yerevan State Medical University also operates. It was created on May 19, 1994 on the basis of the Department of Organization of Medical Service and Extreme Medicine of YSMU. The future military doctors of the Armenian army are trained at the faculty, in addition, military training is carried out here according to the programs of reserve officers for students of other specialties of the Yerevan State Medical University.
Young citizens of the country can receive secondary education with a military bias at the Monte Melkonian Military Sports Lyceum. It began its history in 1997, when the military-sports complex school-school, formerly part of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia, was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia. In the Military Sports Lyceum named after Monte Melkonyan, students are taught according to the educational programs of grades 10-12 of the senior school. Since 2007, the head of the Lyceum has been Colonel Vitaly Valerievich Voskanyan. Male adolescents study at the school, education is free. In addition to general education, special emphasis in the process of teaching cadets is placed on physical, tactical, firepower, engineering training. After the end of the school year, his students go to two-week camp training sessions, during which they take courses in fire, tactical, engineering, mountain, military medical and physical training, and military topography. After graduating from the Lyceum, the overwhelming majority of graduates apply for admission to the higher military educational institutions of Armenia (Military Institute, Military Aviation Institute) and other states. Many graduates of the Lyceum study at various educational institutions of the Russian Federation, as well as at the Military Academy of the Ground Forces of Greece.
Greece, by the way, is Armenia's closest military partner and ally among the states that are members of the NATO bloc. Every year, several Armenian citizens are sent to receive military and military medical education at the military educational institutions of Greece. The Armenian peacekeepers served in the Greek peacekeeping battalion on the territory of Kosovo. In addition to Kosovo, Armenian servicemen served with peacekeeping contingents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not so long ago, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan stated that the coming 2016 has been declared the year of readiness of command personnel in the Armenian army, which implies more close attention to the issues of improving the training and education of Armenian officers.
