Armenian parliament approves bill to shorten military service

(Horizon Weekly) – Armenia’s parliament has approved a government plan to reduce compulsory military service from two years to eighteen months, a reform the opposition views as an election-driven ploy that could weaken national security.

The measure, drafted by the Defense Ministry, was first presented in September. Although it was supposed to take effect next summer, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ordered it to apply to all conscripts beginning January 1, prompting opposition lawmakers to accuse the government of seeking to shore up support ahead of the 2026 elections.

Defense Minister Suren Papikyan dismissed the criticism, insisting that the downsizing of service terms will not diminish army capacity. He argued that recent increases in contract soldiers will compensate for the drop in conscript numbers. Opposition leaders, including former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, countered that voluntary service remains underpaid and insufficiently appealing to meet Armenia’s needs.

Concerns also persist over the continued mobilization of thousands of reservists each year for deployments along the border. A senior defense official acknowledged staffing shortages in September and pressed lawmakers to adopt stricter penalties for reservists who ignore call-up orders.

Some critics have accused the government of quietly aligning with Azerbaijan’s long-standing demand to scale back Armenia’s armed forces, something officials deny. Even so, two pro-government deputies argued that the reduced service time is now possible because of what they termed a “new reality of peace” with Baku.

The reform comes as the government prepares to cut defense spending by more than fifteen percent next year.