The

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

of Armenia are the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

units of

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

that are charged with conducting

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

to protect the foreign and domestic interests of Armenia. Although the exact definition of their role is unknown, like most other special forces worldwide, it includes

counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

, and

unconventional warfare Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces, subversion, or guerrilla warfare. This is typically done to avoid escalation into conventional ...

. These special operations forces operate under the jurisdiction of a few agencies and services, namely the

Armenian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...

, the National Security Service, the Special Investigative Service of Armenia, and the

Police of Armenia The Police of the Republic of Armenia () is the national police of Armenia. The acting head is Vahe Ghazaryan, in office since 8 June 2020. History Soviet era The first police service of Armenia was formed in 1918, under the Ministry of Intern ...

Special forces of the Armenian Army

All special forces and special operations capable units of the military are under the command of the

Armenian Army The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...

. Their assignments and missions are similar to that of the

Spetsnaz GRU Spetsnaz GRU or Spetsnaz G.U. (formally known as Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces () is the special forces (''spetsnaz'') of the G.U., the foreign military-intelligence agency of the Armed ...

. They consist of a Special Forces Regiment, directly subordinated to Ground forces command, and three reconnaissance battalions, each one subordinated to one of the five army corps ( 1st, 2nd,

3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

). The 1st Special Forces Regiment (''1-ին գնդակից հատուկ նպատակ - 1-in Gndakits’ Hatuk Npatak'') was formed in 1992 and received its first military baptism that. The military unit was on permanent combat duty in the Ararat-Vayk border zone. Between 1992 and 1994, the military unit suffered 61 casualties. In 2007, for its 15th anniversary was awarded the "Battle Cross of the Second Degree". The Special Forces Regiment consists of the best-trained and the most battle hardened soldiers in the Armenian military. Its commander, inner organisation, and most of its operational history are unknown. The regiment uses the most advanced weaponry and technology available to the

. Since its formation, the unit took part in two of the most complicated and well-noted military operations of modern

, these being the securing of the Armenian pilot's remains and helicopter parts after the

2014 Armenian Mil Mi-24 shootdown On 12 November 2014, an Armenian Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter ( NATO reporting name "Hind") was shot down by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, killing all three crew members. Events According to the Armenian side, ...

and the rerouting of Azerbaijani forces from the village of

Talysh Talysh may refer to: *Talysh people * History of Talysh *Talysh language *Talysh Khanate, in existence from 1747 to 1828 *Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic, a self-declared autonomy, which existed briefly in the south of Azerbaijan in 1993 *Talysh ...

and its surroundings during the

2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, also known as the Four-Day War,, IPA: ʰɑroɾjɑ pɑtɛɾɑzm az, Dördgünlük müharibə April War,; or April clashes, began along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact on 1 April 2016 with the Artsakh D ...

. The

battalions A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

are under the command of their respective army corps. Their role include infiltration behind enemy lines,

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

, support of frontline units in case of attacks by Azerbaijani ground units, and much more. Not much is known about these units, except that they were involved in the 4 days war and are routinely used to rout attacking Azerbaijani sabotage units.

Special forces of the National Security Service

The National Security Service has under its control regional special forces units, rapid-response units within the

Armenian Border Guard The Armenian Border Guard ( hy, Հայաստանի Սահմանային պահպանություն) is the branch of the National Security Service (Armenia), National Security Service of Armenia that is responsible for monitoring and guarding Armen ...

, and

Alpha Group Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group (a popular English name), or Alfa, whose official name is Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB) (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is an elite stand-alone sub-unit o ...

, Armenia's tier 1 special mission unit. Regional special forces units are under the command of the regional bureaus of the NSS. There is a unit in each Marz, and one in the Capital. They're mostly used as fast reaction forces in case of a major crime or a terrorist attack, but are also trained to conduct arrests of dangerous

criminals In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

. They gained nationwide respect and popularity after conducting the arrest of major crime figures linked to the pre-

2018 Armenian revolution The 2018 Armenian Revolution, most commonly known in Armenia as #MerzhirSerzhin ( hy, ՄերժիրՍերժին, meaning "#RejectSerzh"), was a series of anti-government protests in Armenia from April to May 2018 staged by various political and ...

government during the second half of 2018. The rapid-response units are the

arm of the Armenian Border Guard, having a wide range of missions similar to that of the US

BORTAC The Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) is the tactical unit of the United States Border Patrol. In 2007, BORTAC was placed under the command of the newly formed Special Operations Group (SOG) together with the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, an ...

. The NSS Alpha Group is Armenia's elite tier 1 counter-terrorism unit, formed after the 1999

Armenian parliament shooting The 1999 Armenian parliament shooting, commonly known in Armenia as October 27 (Հոկտեմբերի 27, ''Hoktemberi k’sanyot’''), was a terrorist attack on the Armenian National Assembly in the capital of Yerevan on 27 October 1999 by a gr ...

, in order to be the main response of the Government of Armenia to domestic and foreign terrorism threats. Composed of the most experienced, well-trained and equipped operators in

, Alpha Group has a reputation as the best special forces unit in the country. The first publicly acknowledged action of the group was during the

2016 Yerevan hostage crisis On 17 July 2016, a group of armed men calling themselves the ''Daredevils of Sasun'' (; the name is taken from an epic poem) stormed a police station in Yerevan, Armenia and took nine hostages. They demanded the release of opposition leader Jira ...

, where

snipers A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

were used to incapacitate some members of the Sasna Tsrer terrorist cell, without killing them, leading to their capture and to the group's surrender a few days later. It is also rumored to have taken part in the 2018 anti-corruption crackdown. Any other operation performed by the unit is unknown.

Special forces of the Special Investigative Service of Armenia

The Special Investigative Service of Armenia maintains a small tactical unit in order to not be dependent on other agencies. Very little is known about the most recent member of the Armenian special operations community.

Special forces of the Police of Armenia

The

maintains two types of special units that are extremely similar to the Russian

OMON OMON (russian: ОМОН – Отряд Мобильный Особого Назначения , translit = Otryad Mobil'nyy Osobogo Naznacheniya , translation = Special Purpose Mobile Unit, , previously ru , Отряд Милиции Осо� ...

and

SOBR The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR (russian: СОБР - Специальный Отряд Быстрого Реагирования, Spetsial'niy Otryad Bystrovo Reagirovaniya, lit. ''Special Unit of Quick Response''), from 2002 to 2011 k ...

in terms of role, training and weaponry. These units are the Patrol police and the special intervention unit of the Police of Armenia. The Patrol police of Armenia is a multitask force used in some of the most dangerous situations. They conduct high-risk

arrests An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

and some tactical operations, but they've also been used multiple times to disperse crowds during large-scale

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

, making them the best-known and least popular unit in Armenia's law enforcement apparatus. They wear a distinctive red

beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret remains ...

along with an urban camouflage

uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...

. The

took place in the local base of the patrol police, as the hostage takers saw them as the "bulldogs" of the previous authoritarian governments. The special intervention unit is a

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

-type unit, being mostly used to deal with dangerous criminals.https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=armenian+police+special+forces, YouTube. Retrieved May 25 2020. Not much is known about them.

References

{{reflist Military units and formations of Armenia Special forces