Contract Soldiers to Form Core of Professional Army: Papikyan

The decision to reduce conscription to 1.5 years was not made today, RA Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan stated in an interview with Public Television on October 24.

"Yes, there is such a point in our pre-election program. Moreover, we had another important document, the concept of army transformation, which also outlined all this. And this was supposed to happen within a five-year cycle. We are now approaching the end of this cycle. Naturally, we must fulfill our government's program and promise. We have no intention of making this issue a part of the election campaign. At the same time, I must note that we are not going to defend ourselves and say: 'This step has nothing to do with the commitments made to our society.' Of course, we must fulfill our promises, and if this is a positive step for society, a step accepted by society, why should we abandon it? This has a positive impact on the army, as it is important that the army is accepted and demanded by society, rather than becoming a prison. It is necessary to increase the number of contract servicemen by reducing the number of conscripts. The core of the Armenian army must be composed of professionals, contract servicemen," noted the minister.

The minister does not share the concern that as a result of this change, the composition of the RA Armed Forces will be reduced.

"Currently, within the framework of the 'Defender of the Fatherland' program, 4,217 contract servicemen, former conscripts, are serving in the army. They have undertaken to serve in the army for at least five years, with the possibility of extending their service term to seven and ten years. This will become an essential part of the foundation of our professional army," noted Papikyan.

It should be recalled that Prime Minister Pashinyan had earlier announced the reduction of the duration of military service from two to one and a half years from January 1. The prospect of this change had been announced earlier, noting that it was planned for mid-2026. However, Nikol Pashinyan's statement confirmed that the implementation deadlines of the program have been revised.