Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

It is already the 4th year (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) that Helsinki Citizens’  Assembly-Vanadzor keeps under its attention the works directed at the reforms, restructuring, and modernization of the Armed Forces planned by the 2021-2026 program of the RA government. 

We note that the Republic of Armenia conducts a diversification strategy for acquiring military equipment by significantly reducing the amount of military equipment purchased from the Russian Federation and gaining partners in the West, Asia, and India. 

We have referred to the Armenia-RF/CSTO, Armenia-EU, and Armenia-NATO 2021-2024 meetings regarding the defense and security sectors. It was observed how the frequency of disseminated information about the acquisition of weapons changed during the periods covering the information published by HCAV and against the background of Armenia-Russia/CSTO and Armenia-EU/NATO meetings. 

Both in the previous and the present report, the Organization has conducted investigations based on analyses of information disseminated through official sources and mass media referring to the RA reforms in the Armed Forces, as well as the information requests directed to the RA Defense Ministry.  

The priorities of the subsection referring to the reforms of the armed forces provided by the 5-year plan of the RA government are the following: 

• An essential change in the terms of the military service due to increase of the contractual service and gradual transition to professional army. 

• An increase in the efficiency of the governance and conduct of the armed forces, implementation of the necessary legal amendments aimed at the solution of the nationwide problems of the defense sector, review of the strategy of the RA national security, the development of a new military doctrine, and the introduction of a new unified automated governance system. 

• An efficiency increase due to the improvement of the organizational and personnel structure of the armed forces.

• A modernization of the armament and military equipment. 

• Improvement of the mobilization preparation and mechanisms.

• Development of military science and education.

• Reforms of the information security and cybersecurity sectors.

• Implementation of programs aimed at increasing the level of moral and psychological preparation in the armed forces.

• Increasing the social protection of servicemen and their families, improvement of mechanisms that increase the attractiveness of military service and the reputation of servicemen, implementation of programs aimed at providing housing to servicemen, and new social and health programs for the servicemen affected by the consequences of war. 

• Improvement of the mechanisms aimed at the democratic and civilian control of the armed forces, promoting discipline and the protection of human rights in the armed forces. 

• Increasing the security level of objects and infrastructures of strategic significance. 

The report prepared by HCAV is HERE.