Armenia Marks Army Day on January 28, Honors Its Armed Forces

Every year on January 28, Armenia celebrates Army Day, a national holiday that honors the Armed Forces of Armenia and remembers their long and difficult history. It’s also the anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Army in the early years of Armenia’s modern independence.

Army Day is a public and non-working holiday in Armenia. It was first celebrated as an official holiday in 2001 when the government made it an official day off. Since then, state ceremonies and tributes to the military take place across the country.

The official start of the modern Armenian Armed Forces dates to January 28, 1992, when then-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan signed a decree creating the armed forces soon after Armenia declared independence from the Soviet Union.

The process of building a national army, however, began before 1992. In the late 1980s, as the Soviet Union was breaking apart, groups of Armenian volunteers and militia units formed in different regions. These groups later became the basis for the national military. The first special units included detachments formed in Yerevan, Ararat, Goris, Vardenis, Ijevan and Meghri.

In early 1992, the government brought together existing forces under the new Ministry of Defence, creating a structure for recruitment, training, and command. Thousands of Armenian officers from different parts of the former Soviet Union joined the ranks, helping speed up the formation of army units.

Building the military was not easy. In the final years of the Soviet Union, Armenia faced limitations on recruiting and organizing forces. For example, the draft of young Armenian soldiers had been paused because of discrimination against Armenians serving in Soviet units. This delay created gaps in training and readiness when the new army was formed.

The army’s creation took place against the backdrop of rising conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, an indigenously Armenian region. Fighting began in the late 1980s and continued into the 1990s as Armenia and ethnic Armenians in Karabakh sought independence from Azerbaijan.

The early 1990s saw intense fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. These battles shaped the army’s first years and helped define its role in defending Armenia’s security. Volunteer fighters and regular troops fought together, and the experience of war helped strengthen military abilities over time.

While the modern army’s history begins in 1992, Armenian history includes many older battles and wars that reflect a tradition of defending the homeland. In 1918, Armenian forces fought in the Battle of Sardarabad against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, helping preserve the territory that became the First Republic of Armenia.

Centuries earlier, Armenian warriors also fought major battles such as the Battle of Avarayr in 451, when Christian Armenians resisted the Sassanian Empire to defend their faith and autonomy.

In more recent decades, Armenia’s armed forces have been involved in flare-ups of fighting along the borders, especially around Nagorno-Karabakh and with neighboring Azerbaijan. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War in the early 1990s was followed by periods of ceasefire and occasional clashes. Large-scale fighting in 2020 led to heavy losses before a Russia-brokered peace agreement. These events tested the army and shaped its development.

Since the ceasefire, Armenian leaders and military officials have focused on improving training, technology, and readiness. The army has also taken part in international training exercises with foreign partners to learn new skills and techniques.

On Army Day each year, Armenian leaders visit memorial sites such as Yerablur Military Cemetery to remember those who died defending the country. Flowers are laid at graves of soldiers, and public ceremonies recognize the sacrifices made by generations of fighters.

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