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ARMENIA TO REVAMP ARMED FORCES IN NEXT FIVE YEARS
BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan
Global Insight
December 14, 2010
The Armenian government on 13 December approved an army modernisation
plan which was endorsed by president Serzh Sargsyan. According to
the president's office, the "State Program for Developing Weaponry
and Military Hardware in 2011-2015" will see the army acquiring
"state-of-the-art weapons" and improving its military capabilities.
The decision was the final state endorsement of the two documents
designed by the defence and national security committee back in
August. The plan will see not only modernisation of the army but also
increased domestic production of military hardware. The secretary
of the National Security Council, Artur Baghdasarian, commented on
the news by saying that the programme will help Armenia to neutralise
potential military threats to its security. Meanwhile Defence Minister
Seyran Ohanyan did not hide that wanting to modernise the army is
directly linked to the possible conflict over the Armenian-populated
Nagorno-Karabakh region that declared its independence from Azerbaijan
22 year ago.
Significance:The army modernisation plan is a step in the arms race
between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Revamping the Armenian army with
artillery with long-range strike capacity as well as modern military
hardware is largely triggered by the Azerbaijani government's
repeated threats to launch a war if the breakaway republic is
not returned to its control. For impoverished Armenia, the arms
race is certainly an economic challenge. Azerbaijan's 2011 defence
budget of US$3 billion--largely fuelled by revenues from its energy
exports--dwarfs the US$400 million allocated by Armenia for the same
purpose. Hence the Armenian government has been seeking other means
to cover the shortfall. Military co-operation with Russia as well as
membership to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO),
the military wing of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
provides not only guarantees of military assistance but also creates
an opportunity to get predominantly Russian military hardware for
discounted prices. The modernisation of the Armenian army could have a
positive impact on regional security as it will act as a deterrent for
a possible Azerbaijani military attack on Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh,
leaving peace talks as the only viable option for determining the
final status of the breakaway region.
From: A. Papazian
BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan
Global Insight
December 14, 2010
The Armenian government on 13 December approved an army modernisation
plan which was endorsed by president Serzh Sargsyan. According to
the president's office, the "State Program for Developing Weaponry
and Military Hardware in 2011-2015" will see the army acquiring
"state-of-the-art weapons" and improving its military capabilities.
The decision was the final state endorsement of the two documents
designed by the defence and national security committee back in
August. The plan will see not only modernisation of the army but also
increased domestic production of military hardware. The secretary
of the National Security Council, Artur Baghdasarian, commented on
the news by saying that the programme will help Armenia to neutralise
potential military threats to its security. Meanwhile Defence Minister
Seyran Ohanyan did not hide that wanting to modernise the army is
directly linked to the possible conflict over the Armenian-populated
Nagorno-Karabakh region that declared its independence from Azerbaijan
22 year ago.
Significance:The army modernisation plan is a step in the arms race
between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Revamping the Armenian army with
artillery with long-range strike capacity as well as modern military
hardware is largely triggered by the Azerbaijani government's
repeated threats to launch a war if the breakaway republic is
not returned to its control. For impoverished Armenia, the arms
race is certainly an economic challenge. Azerbaijan's 2011 defence
budget of US$3 billion--largely fuelled by revenues from its energy
exports--dwarfs the US$400 million allocated by Armenia for the same
purpose. Hence the Armenian government has been seeking other means
to cover the shortfall. Military co-operation with Russia as well as
membership to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO),
the military wing of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
provides not only guarantees of military assistance but also creates
an opportunity to get predominantly Russian military hardware for
discounted prices. The modernisation of the Armenian army could have a
positive impact on regional security as it will act as a deterrent for
a possible Azerbaijani military attack on Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh,
leaving peace talks as the only viable option for determining the
final status of the breakaway region.
From: A. Papazian