Today is the 33rd anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Army.
On January 28, 1992, President Levon Ter-Petrosyan decreed the establishment of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia. Under its subordination, specific subdivisions of the country’s law enforcement agencies were transferred, particularly the Ministry of Internal Affairs patrol regiment, the special purpose operational regiment, the civil defense regiment, and the military commissariat of the Republic of Armenia.
In one of his interviews, Levon Ter-Petrosyan noted that the foundations for the creation of the Army were laid earlier, in August 1990. At that time, the Armenian National Movement came to power in Soviet Armenia, defeating the communists in the parliamentary elections held in May.
By the decision of the Council of Ministers, a unique subdivision was voluntarily established under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This was the Special Regiment, one of its primary tasks being to protect the border regions and ensure the security of the population. The self-defense groups very quickly turned into an army.
One of the first actions of the newly formed Armenian Army was disarming the Armenian National Army (ANA). The ANA was a political-military group that tried to defy the laws of the newly formed state. On August 29, 1990, the ANA was disarmed with the signature of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the Chairman of the Supreme Council and the country’s de facto leader.
On September 2, 1990, Vazgen Sargsyan led the creation of a founding group of the formation. He made a statement in the Supreme Council and called for membership in the structure. On September 3, the first recruits were already lined up near the Supreme Council building.
After the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia was established, the Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces was created by order of Minister Vazgen Sargsyan. On August 8, 1992, 56-year-old Lieutenant General of the Soviet Army Norat Ter-Grigoryants arrived in Armenia. They were immediately appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia and Acting Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff.
“There was also a need to make personnel changes in the Army. Vazgen Sargsyan realized that he was no longer able to fulfill these new tasks and voluntarily, at his request, ceded this position to more professionals. We invited two extremely skilled military men, Lieutenant Generals Ter-Grigoryants and Andreasyan, who are now fully engaged in forming our Army,” says Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
In May 1992, the first conscription in the history of independent Armenia was held throughout the republic, replenishing the Army with conscripts. It was on the shoulders of these soldiers that the most brilliant victories of the Artsakh War, the creation of a security zone around Artsakh, and the imposition of a ceasefire on Azerbaijan were to be placed.
The Armenian Army was destined to achieve victory in the first Artsakh War and undergo a long and difficult formation process.
