Armenian authorities` initiative to reduce military service term  actually election campaign tool - opposition MP

ArmInfo. The current Armenian authorities' initiative to reduce the length of service in the country's armed forces is merely a campaign tool. Meanwhile, the primary objective of all initiatives and reforms in the army must  remain national security and the state's defense capability. Gegham  Manukyan, a member of parliament from the opposition "Armenia"  faction, wrote this on his Facebook page in connection with today's  discussion by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defense and  Security of the draft amendments to the Law "On Military Service and  the Status of Servicemen," specifically reducing the length of  mandatory military service from two to one and a half years.

The MP, recalling that he is a member of the standing parliamentary  committee on defense and security, noted that he cannot participate  in these discussions on the reform of the Armed Forces today, as he  is on a mission to attend the plenary session of the General Assembly  of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation  (PABSEC). However, he felt it was necessary to communicate his  position on this issue to the public.

According to him, the discussion about reducing the length of  compulsory military service appears artificial and is moving in an  unhealthy direction, as it boils down to a simple "for" or "against"  choice. In this regard, Manukyan recalled that recently, when the  government's pre-election promise to reduce the length of military  service was discussed, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan urged  consideration of many factors and avoiding hasty decisions. "However,  now, without substantiated and published data, this issue has become  pressing, creating the impression that we are dealing merely with an  election campaign tool.  Meanwhile, the primary objective of all  initiatives and reforms in the armed forces must remain Armenia's  national security and defense capability, as well as the creation of  conditions for peaceful and secure life in the region," the  opposition figure said. He believes that any steps and innovations  related to the Armenian army must be based on this and be based on a  comprehensive analysis of the situation, taking into account a range  of factors. In this regard, he noted that the security and strength  of the Armed Forces are the foundation of the country's defense  capability and important factors for maintaining law and order.   "Whereas a policy devoid of statecraft and based solely on popular  support can lead to irreversible losses in the security system," the  opposition figure emphasized.

He noted that there is no documented evidence that reducing the  mandatory service period to one and a half years will significantly  reduce the rate of draft evasion. In this regard, Manukyan expressed  his conviction that the announcement and launch of this program, as  well as the manipulation of draft dates, indicate that this is an  election ploy. "The very fact of postponing the planned summer 2026  draft to the winter one underscores the lack of consistent and  thorough planning for this initiative," the deputy added.

Regarding concerns about the shortened service period, Manukyan  stated that back in September, he requested the studies and programs  that formed the basis for this change. "Two months later, the only  response was a double-digit figure regarding the number of  participants in the 'Defender of the Fatherland' program and the  percentage of salary increases during assessment," the opposition  figure noted.

Furthermore, he noted the inadequacy of the General Staff's  assessment. In particular, as the deputy noted, there are no clear  assessments, forecasts, or opinions from the General Staff and other  defense units. "Their statements are limited to rare and fragmentary  comments about how everything will be manageable if the program is  launched," Manukyan added.

He further drew attention to the security threat posed by the current  overload of career and contract military personnel on combat duty, as  well as vacant combat positions. "Meanwhile, the established 'peace,'  the stagnation of the demarcation process, and the uncertainty of the  timeline do not guarantee that such reductions will not have a  significant impact on the unity of the front line and the security  system," the commission member noted.

The MP also pointed out the psychological consequences of this  decision for service members over three conscription periods, given  that those conscripted for two years and those already serving under  the new law will serve in the Armed Forces for essentially 1.5 years  simultaneously.

"Furthermore, under these conditions, future conscripts will face a  much more difficult and lengthy combat service on the front lines,  which will confront the armed forces with the reality of possible  negative consequences. To fill the gap, the Armed Forces leadership  and the bodies responsible for conscription will be forced to  conscript a significantly larger number of citizens under the pretext  of 25-day training camps, which will deprive them of civilian life  for approximately a month and create economic, financial, and family  difficulties," the MP noted.

Manukyan then proposed a number of steps to mitigate the consequences  of the shortened military service period. Specifically, he proposed  that this step be conditional on parallel, harmonized, and  coordinated actions. Furthermore, the opposition leader emphasized  the need to study and resolve the issue of increasing the basic  salary of service members of the Armenian Armed Forces. In  particular, Manukyan proposed increasing salaries for more military  personnel, and not just those who passed the certification.

"It is also important to change the public perception of the army and  military service by ceasing the devaluation of the Armenian Armed  Forces and the downplaying of the role of servicemen and their  mission in society.

Furthermore, it is necessary to promote a more rigorous teaching of  Basic Military Training in the general education system, introducing  incentives for applicants to enroll in military academies. It is also  necessary to develop a comprehensive program that creates favorable  conditions for the integration of servicemen into civilian life after  completing their mandatory and contractual service, including  programs in healthcare, education, and employment. A multifaceted and  long-term public awareness campaign is required to change public  perceptions and build trust and respect for military service,"  Manukyan concluded.

As a reminder, on October 30, at a regular session, the Armenian  government approved the reduction of the mandatory military service  term from 24 to 18 months, beginning with the winter draft of 2025.  On November 24, the relevant parliamentary committee approved the  urgent submission of this bill to the Armenian parliament for  discussion. Independent experts are inclined to believe that the  ruling party, led by Pashinyan, is attempting to secure additional  votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for June  2026.