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The Armenian Army is the largest branch of the , 2006 Since the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War , Armenia has committed many elements of the army to help bolster the defense and defend the unrecognized Republic Of Nagorno-Karabakh from a possible renewal of hostilities with neighboring Azerbaijan . HISTORY The Armenian army's history is described to have gone through three different stages. It entered the first stage in February 1988, from the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict where Armenian militias were formed to combat growing hostilities in the region against similar Azeri units with the impending break of the Soviet Union. The second phase of the development of the army began in 1992, several months after Armenia had declared its independence. Ter-Grigoryants and other civilian officials in the Armenian Ministry of Defense including Vazgen Manukyan and Vazgen Sargsyan sought to establish the army to be a ''"small, well-balanced, combat-ready defense force."''Curtis, Glenn E. Armenia, ''Azerbaijan, and Georgia Country Studies''. Federal Research Division Library of Congress: Washington D.C., 1995 Most of the army's staff officers were members of the former Soviet military as an estimated 5,000 Armenians were serving as high level officers in it prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union.Mirsky, Georgiy I. ''On Ruins of Empire: Ethnicity and Nationalism in the Former Soviet Union''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997 p. 63 ISBN 0-3133-0044-5 Almost immediately after its independence, Armenia was embroiled in the Nagorno-Karabakh War with neighboring Azerbaijan . Intending to establish a force of 30,000 men, the army's standing force increased to 50,000 by early 1994. During the war, the military remained on high alert and bolstered defenses in the region of Zangezur , opposite of the western Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan . Purported artillery bombardment in May 1992 from the region led to skirmishes between the two sides including the Armenian army's incursion into several of the villages. Since 1994, the army has taken an active role in ensuring the defense of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in conjunction with its eponymous Defense Force . On . Last updated January 24 , 2006 . Retrieved February 9 , 2007 . In the autumn of , 2006 . Retrieved February 1 , 2007 . ORGANIZATION Operational Forces Academies
General Staff
VEHICLE INVENTORY Main Battle Tanks
Light armor
Anti-aircraft defense Artillery
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