Armenia’s political leadership has announced plans to reduce the length of compulsory military service by 2027, raising concerns about national security among the opposition.
The proposal is part of a broader defense reform plan approved by the National Security Council, though the document does not specify the exact reduction in the current 24-month service requirement. The Defense Ministry aims to offset the decrease in conscript numbers by increasing the recruitment of contract soldiers. This would be done through an existing program allowing conscripts to sign a five-year contract with the Armenian military after just six months of service.
Defense Minister Suren Papikyan praised the initiative in a recent address to the Armenian parliament, highlighting the growing number of young men joining the professional army due to the program. He emphasized that the military’s higher wages are a significant draw for recruits.
However, military analyst Leonid Nersisyan of the APRI Armenia think tank questioned the feasibility of meeting the recruitment targets. He estimated that at least 6,500 additional contract soldiers would be needed if compulsory service were reduced by just six months.
Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan, a former defense expert, criticized the proposed reduction, arguing that it was reckless given Armenia’s current shortage of military personnel and the ongoing threat of war with Azerbaijan. He also accused Papikyan of overstating the recent pay raises for contract soldiers.
Abrahamyan suggested that the reduction in service length might be a strategy by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party to gain more support ahead of the 2026 general elections. Pashinyan had previously pledged to transition Armenia’s conscription-based army to a fully professional one, but without setting a specific timeline.
Abrahamyan further speculated that Pashinyan might be responding to pressure from Azerbaijan, which has called for the downsizing of Armenia’s military during ongoing peace treaty negotiations. Senior Azerbaijani officials have cited Armenia’s “militarization” as a significant obstacle to a peace deal, with one official even calling for “restrictions” on the Armenian armed forces.
While Armenia’s military has faced pressure to downsize, Azerbaijan has continued to expand its own forces. The country plans to spend $4.9 billion on defense and national security in 2025, compared to Armenia’s projected defense budget of $1.7 billion for the same year.
