The Military Police 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 ...

( hy, Ռազմական ոստիկանություն; Rrazmakan vostikanut’yun) is the

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

branch of the

Armed Forces of Armenia 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 ...

under the command of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. In the MoD, it is separate from the central apparatus. It is governed by the RA Law on Military Police.

Purpose

The Military Police is responsible for the following: * Investigation of military crimes in the armed forces on the territory of military unit. * Deterrence and prevention of crimes committed by military servicemen. * Protection of property that belongs to the military.

History

The Military Police was established on 5 May 1992, by order of Minister of Defense

Vazgen Sargsyan Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan ( hy, Վազգեն Զավենի Սարգսյան, ; 5 March 1959 – 27 October 1999) was an Armenian military commander and politician. He was the first Defence Minister of Armenia from 1991 to 1992 and then from 1 ...

. It had no special status until 2007. That year, a law to define the status of a Military Police was adopted by the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. Military Police bylaws were approved by the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

on 25 December 2008.

Organization

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

Department of the Military Police *

Vanadzor Vanadzor ( hy, Վանաձոր) is an urban municipal community and the third-largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 cen ...

Department of the Military Police *

Sisian Sisian ( hy, Սիսիան) is a town and the centre of the urban community of Sisian, in the Syunik Province in southern Armenia. It is located on the Vorotan River, 6 km south of the Yerevan-Meghri highway, at a road distance of 217 km southeast ...

Department of the Military Police

Activities

In 2018, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that ahead of the 2018 army draft, the military police would be posted at

Zvartnots International Airport Zvartnots International Airport ( hy, Զվարթնոց միջազգային օդանավակայան, translit=Zvart'nots' mijazgayin ōdanavakayan) is located near Zvartnots, west of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. It acts as the main ...

to help arriving draftees from the diaspora in being able to fulfill their army service. Similar postings were also conducted at

Shirak Airport Gyumri Shirak International Airport ( hy, Գյումրի Շիրակ Միջազգային Oդանավակայան, translit=Gyumri Shirak Mijazgayin Odanavakayan), is an international airport serving Gyumri and the province of Shirak, Armenia. ...

Peacekeeping

The military police is in control of the

12th Peacekeeping Brigade The 12th Peacekeeping Brigade () is a military unit of the Armed Forces of Armenia. Sometimes referred to as the Blue Berets due to its role (and its similarities to the Armenian Airborne Forces), it solely specializes in peacekeeping in foreign co ...

, which also known as the Blue Berets due to its similarities to the Armenian Airborne Forces. It specializes in peacekeeping in foreign countries as part of international initiatives. It has collaborated in several international missions with the West, including missions in

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. In 2019, a Military Police peacekeeping platoon participated in a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

-sponsored training held in Armenia.

Chief of the Military Police

* Major General Artur Baghdasarian (May 2017 - 19 February 2020) *Colonel Alexander Aghajanyan (acting) (19 February 2020 - 6 August 2020) * Ashot Zakaryan (6 August 2020 - present)

References

{{reflist Military provosts Military police Military units and formations of Armenia Military units and formations established in 1992 Gendarmerie

1992 establishments in Armenia