Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

The introductory part of the subclause on reforms of the armed forces of the RA Government's five-year program for 2021-2026, among other things, also mentions the importance of greater involvement of women in the military subdivisions of the armed forces.

It should be noted that women in the Republic of Armenia have had the opportunity to study at the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy since 2013. 

In 2019, a department for working with female servicepersons was formed within the Department of Moral and Psychological Support of the Armed Forces, the purpose of which is to analyze and conduct studies on the organization of military service for women in the Armed Forces and ensuring equal opportunities, as well as to present proposals for solving the issues and problems raised.

And since 2020, Military and Sports college named after Мonte Мelkonyan has also begun accepting women.

One of the steps aimed at involving women in military service was taken by the Government in June 2023, when amendments and addenda were made to the RA Law “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen”, in particular, Article 19.1 was added, which established the basis and procedure for organizing the conscription of women who applied for mandatory military service on a voluntary basis. 

As a result of the legislative amendments, a “women’s battalion” was formed, where women can voluntarily undergo 6-month mandatory military service. It was envisaged that those who successfully completed the 6-month service would receive an honorarium of one million drams and the opportunity to continue their service within the framework of the “Homeland defender” program. This innovation was viewed by the RA government as an additional incentive to increase the involvement of women in the armed forces. 

However, since the justifications for setting a 6-month duration for women to undergo military service were not clear, the Organization still addressed the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia with an information request in September 2023.

In response, the RA Ministry of Defense stated that the six-month period of women’s voluntary military service is established based on the assumption that during that period a serviceperson shall master “the peculiarities of combined-arms combat, obligations related to their position and profession, procedure of independently preparing and conducting combat, protecting against and concealing from the adversary’s air attack means in different conditions of territory, weather and day, material part of service weapon, shooting rules, methods and ways of firing, main provisions of combined arms statutes, issues of combat duty and their implementation obligations, combat preparation and daily safety rules, after which female servicepersons shall have a clear idea of continuing their service in the RA Armed Forces or be discharged into the RA Armed Forces reserve.”

The RA Ministry of Defense added that “practices and challenges of other countries are being studied in order to make women’s voluntary involvement in mandatory military service more effective, emphasizing that Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) organized in Armenia a presentation of best practices of countries implementing call-ups for women”.

More at:   https://hcav.am/womeninarmy-18-03-2025/