RA Defense Minister:  2026 to be a year of combating  criminal  subculture in Armed Forces

ArmInfo.  Since August 8, the situation on the Armenian- Azerbaijani border has significantly improved, as stated by RA Defense Minister Suren  Papikyan  in an interview with Armenian Public Television.

He  confirmed the absence of tensions and incidents on the border,  noting that when minor incidents do occur, the parties contact each  other and resolve the issues.

The minister also noted a decrease in fatalities in the Armen Forces.  Specifically, in 2025, five deaths were recorded, one from lightning  struck, another from electric shock, two  due to health issues, and  one soldier committed suicide. There have been no murders this year,  which, according to the head of the Defense Ministry, is seen as a  positive trend. Papikyan emphasized that 2026 will focus on combating  the criminal subculture within the army.

The head of the Defense Ministry also highlighted the reduction of  the mandatory military service term from two years to 1.6 years. He  mentioned that the promise to reduce the mandatory service term by  six months was part of the Civil Contract party's election platform,  and a corresponding clause was  included in the army transformation  concept. The minister considered this decision to be a positive  development for the army. He emphasized the importance of making the  army  appealing to society and not perceived as a prison. The  minister informed that 4,217 contract soldiers have participated in  the "Motherland Defender " program over the past two years. According  to Papikyan, there are plans to offer participants the opportunity to  extend their contract length from the current five years to seven or  ten years. He also noted a 26% increase  in the number of cadets at  the V. Sargsyan Military Academy by compared to 2018.

Papikyan also reported on the army's modernization through the  procurement of new weapons,  largely achieved due to the  diversification of supply routes. According to him, there are  currently no previous issues with delays in the delivery of weapons  that have already been paid for. The minister assured that only  new-generation weapons are being purchased, emphasizing that the arms  acquisition  are  not for the militarization of Armenia, but to  enhance the country's defense capability. Additionally, the Minister   noted the recent development of domestic arms production. He  mentioned that, starting in 2022, the volume of contracts with local  defense industry companies has increased from 5.5 billion drams to  170 billion drams.

The Minister announced that the first set of new field uniforms is  ready for testing by the troops. Samples of  both everyday and dress  uniforms have also been prepared. Earlier, the minister met in  Washington with the management of the American company Milliken,  which specializes in the design and production of military uniforms.  He emphasized that the uniform change holds aesthetic and  psychological significance.  "Western standards, but with domestic  symbols," Suren Papikyan stated.