Apartments for Military Grads, Higher Stipends for Cadets

"In 2026, a young person graduating from a military educational institution can receive a newly built apartment upon appointment, which they can manage at their own discretion," the Minister of Defense announced in the National Assembly, emphasizing that the right to sell is an exception here. "I want to talk about the military academy, the scholarships of educational institutions. The scholarship amount for cadets of the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy has noticeably increased," Papikyan detailed.

"As of 2018, a cadet received from 5,300 to 13,000 drams, and in case of excellence, an additional scholarship of 10,000 drams. Now, the basic scholarship for a first-year cadet of the military academy is 15,000 drams, and depending on academic performance, a cadet can receive a scholarship of 45,000, 60,000, or 75,000 drams. In the second year, the basic scholarship is 20,000 drams, and again, depending on academic performance, a cadet can receive 60,000, 80,000, or 100,000 drams. In the third year, the basic scholarship is 25,000 drams, which, depending on academic performance, can reach 125,000. In the fourth year, it's 30,000 drams, which can reach 150,000 drams, and in the fifth year, a basic scholarship of 35,000 drams and 175,000 drams for excellence.

At the Monte Melkonian Military College, cadets received nothing before 2018. Now all students of the college receive 15,000 drams. Cadets with average academic performance receive 30,000 drams, and cadets with excellent academic performance receive 45,000 drams," listed Suren Papikyan.

The Minister of Defense noted that the number of cadets at the academy has increased by 26 percent compared to 2018, which indicates that the public's attitude towards military education and the attitude of young people towards this profession have significantly changed.

There are also visible results in the "Defender of the Fatherland" program. "Let me remind you that under the program, conscripts become contract soldiers and sign a five-year contract with the Ministry of Defense. I'll say more, we have another legislative initiative according to which the beneficiaries of the 'Defender of the Fatherland' program can extend the contract to seven and ten years. As I have already mentioned, in just two years, the number of beneficiaries of the program is 4,220, which is constantly growing," Suren Papikyan concluded.