Armenian Army The Armenian Army ( ) is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of Armenia and consists of the ground forces responsible for the country ' s land - based operations . It was established in conjunction with the other components of Armenia ' s military on January 28 , 1992 , several months after the republic declared its independence from the Soviet Union . The army ' s first head was the former deputy commander - in - chief of the main staff of the Soviet Ground Forces , Norat Ter - Grigoryants . In compliance with its strategic allies , Armenia has sent over 1 , 500 officers to be trained in Greece and Russia . Since the end of the Nagorno - Karabakh War , Armenia has committed many elements of the army to help bolster the defense and defend the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno - Karabakh from a possible renewal of hostilities with neighboring Azerbaijan . " Jane ' s World Armies " reports that both conscripts and officers from Armenia are routinely sent for duty to Karabakh , often posted to the frontline between Karabakh Armenian and Azerbaijani forces . History . The Armenian army ' s history is described to have gone through three different stages . It entered the first stage in February 1988 , from the beginning of the Nagorno - Karabakh conflict where Armenian militias were formed to combat growing hostilities in the region against similar Azeri units with the impending break of the Soviet Union . The second phase of the development of the army began in 1992 , several months after Armenia had declared its independence . Ter - Grigoryants and civilian officials in the Armenian Ministry of Defense including Vazgen Manukyan and Vazgen Sargsyan sought to establish a " small , well - balanced , combat - ready defense force . " The third phase began after the end of the war and continues on until today . Most of the army ' s staff officers were members of the former Soviet military as an estimated 5 , 000 Armenians were serving as high level officers in it prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union . Almost immediately after its independence , Armenia was embroiled in the Nagorno - Karabakh War with neighboring Azerbaijan . Intending to establish a force of 30 , 000 men , the army ' s standing force increased to 50 , 000 by early 1994 . During the war , the military remained on high alert and bolstered defenses in the region of Zangezur , opposite of the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan to its west . Purported artillery bombardment in May 1992 from the region led to skirmishes between the two sides including the Armenian army ' s incursion into several of the villages . Since 1994 , the army has taken an active role in ensuring the defense of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in conjunction with the Nagorno - Karabakh Defense Army . International deployments . The Armenian army has collaborated in several international missions with the West . On February 12 , 2004 , Armenia deployed a platoon - sized unit ( three squads ) to Kosovo as a part of the Greek peacekeeping battalion . The unit , known as the Peacekeeping Forces of Armenia , is headquartered in Camp " REGAS FEREOS " as a part of the Multi - National Task Force East and is tasked with maintaining vehicle check points , providing security for the base but also serves as a quick reaction force and crowd and riot control . In 2008 , the KFOR unit was expanded , adding a second platoon plus company staff ( bringing Armenia ' s contingent to about 85 personnel ) . In the autumn of 2004 , the Armenian government approved the dispatch of a 46 - man contingent from the army consisting of sapper s , engineers and doctors under Polish command as part of the Multinational Force in Iraq . On November 10 , 2006 , Senior Lieutenant Georgy Nalbandyan was injured in a mine explosion in Iraq but survived after being transported for surgery to a hospital in Landstuhl , Germany , near Ramstein Air Base . On October 6 , 2008 , due to improving security conditions , the contingent ' s tour of duty came to an end . In July 2009 , the Defense Minister of Armenia , Seyran Ohanyan , announced that Armenia would send a force to participate with the International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF ) in the War in Afghanistan by the end of the year . He did not mention how large the force would be but did note that it probably would include munitions experts and communications officers . A MOD spokesmen also stated that the force would include medical specialists and translators as well . Ohanyan added that Armenian officers who served in the Soviet military during the Soviet War in Afghanistan also expressed the desire to return there as members of the new force . In November 2009 , a NATO official affirmed that an Armenian contingent numbering 30 troops will join the ISAF sometime in early 2010 . That number was revised to 40 in early December , when the Armenian parliament overwhelmingly voted in approval of the contingent ' s deployment . The servicemen arrived in Afghanistan in February 2010 , where , under German command , they are tasked to defend the regional airport in Kunduz . There are currently 126 servicemen in Afghanistan . Organization . Field Forces . Brinkster . net reported in 2004 that according to media reports , the Army included the 555th Motor Rifle Regiment , the 83rd Motor Rifle Brigade ( Dasheksan ) , the 1st Motor Rifle Brigade , the 7th Fortified Region ( Gyumri ) , the 9th Fortified Region ( Etchmiadzin ) , a Motor Rifle Regiment ( Etchmiadzin ) , the 538th Motor Rifle Regiment ( Ağdaban ) , a Motor Rifle Regiment ( Shushi ) , and the 545th Motor Rifle Regiment . Equipment . Vehicles . The International Institute for Strategic Studies ( IISS ) reported in 2013 that the Armenian Army had : Other . Anti - aircraft Artillery Radar systems