Armenian defence minister pledges more combat training amid service reform

Armenia’s plan to shorten compulsory military service will not lead to a reduction in the size of the Armed Forces, Defence Minister Suren Papikyan has said.

Speaking at a parliamentary commission on defence and security, Papikyan explained that two conscription cohorts will be demobilised in 18 months, but the same number of recruits will be called up, with their service length set at 18 months, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media. 

He said recent organisational changes in some units now allow conscripts to spend less time on routine duty and more on combat training.

“If we can avoid sending them on 14- or 20-day duty rotations and instead strengthen their training, why shouldn’t we do it? I mean preparation, coordination, understanding of tasks,” he said.

Papikyan also noted that leave entitlements had been expanded: soldiers on combat duty now receive 30 days of leave, while others receive 21 days, in addition to merit-based leave.

He added that 16,000 reservists were called up for training in 2025, with plans to increase annual call-ups to around 20,000 from 2026 onwards.

By Aghakazim Guliyev