Armenia's 2026 Defense Budget Sees $1.1B Increase Since 2018

Of the 563.1 billion drams allocated for the Ministry of Defense in 2026, current expenditures amount to 259.4 billion drams, which is 46.1%, and capital expenditures amount to 303.7 billion drams, or 53.9%. The figures were presented in Parliament by Defense Minister Suren Papikyan.

"I consider it necessary to present the defense expenditures in a certain comparison over the years. I took the figures planned by the 2018 budget, formed in the pre-revolutionary year of 2017, as the initial comparison figure. In 2018, defense spending was 245 billion drams. In foreign currency, that is $640 million. In 2025, defense spending was 667 billion, which is $1 billion 741 million 604 thousand, meaning defense spending has increased by $1.1 billion. The expenses made and to be made in 2023, 24, 25, and now 26 are unprecedented," noted Suren Papikyan, adding that it is precisely because of this that they have been able to implement reforms such as the certification program for servicemen.

"Today, a contract serviceman can receive an additional salary of 205 to 470 thousand drams as a result of certification. This is a significant improvement and, I believe, has already had an impact on the social condition of our servicemen. On their quality of life. At this moment, we have a 65 percent certification rate among the servicemen who participated in the process. The dynamics over the years are as follows: in 2023, 49.2 percent of the participants were certified, in 2024 - 60.6 percent, and in 2025 - 64 percent," Papikyan detailed.