Military service term to be reduced to 18 months in Armenia 

ArmInfo.  In Armenia, the mandatory military service period will be reduced from 24 months to 18 months. At its November 24 session, the National Assembly Committee of the Republic of Armenia discussed amendments to the Law "On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen," submitted by the Armenian government.

According to RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, who presented the  document in its second reading, all provisions related to the  reduction in military service will apply starting January 1, 2026,  and the military service period itself will begin on January 7. This  change will not apply to those service members who were conscripted  into the army before January 1, 2026.

Papikyan emphasized that the reduction in service time is the result  of efforts to make service in the armed forces more attractive.  Specifically, the discussion concerns the continuation of the  "Defender of the Fatherland" program, conducting certification for  military personnel, implementing a system of professional sergeants,  and other measures, which will make it possible to offset the balance  of rank-and- file soldiers by increasing the number of contract  soldiers. The minister assured that, as a result of the law's  implementation, the number of contract soldiers in the country's  Armed Forces will increase significantly, far exceeding the  previously announced figure of 4,029 who signed contracts under the  "Defender of the Fatherland" program alone. Regarding the expected  number of conscripts, Papikyan declined to disclose the figure,  citing state confidentiality. The minister only reported an annual  positive balance between those called up for active duty and those  demobilized, which amounts to over 1,000 men.

Papikyan emphasized that the country's authorities are striving to  build Armed Forces that are at the highest level of preparedness and  equipment. He noted that today it is crucial for the army to focus  less on defending combat positions, which is also crucial, and more  on combat training, enhancing its capabilities.  In this context,  reserve training is no less important, which is largely facilitated  by reservist training, which should become the army's defining  factor. "We must not escape reality and acknowledge that the defeat  in the 44-day war was precisely due to the lack of trained reserves,"  the minister said.