The Vazgen Sargsyan Military University ( hy, Վազգեն Սարգսյանի անվան ռազմական համալսարան) is a higher educational institution functioning in the system of the
Ministry of Defense of Armenia. Its mission is to prepare and train officers capable of implementing defense tasks in peace and war. It is roughly the equivalent to the
United States Military Academy at West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
.
History
![Armenian army recruits](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Armenian_army_recruits.JPG)
The "Higher Military Combined Arms Command College" was founded on June 24, 1994. The Izmirlian Foundation had a major role in the process of establishing the college, financing the construction of two barracks and the heating and power system from 1996-1998. A presidential decree issued by
Robert Kocharyan
Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( hy, Ռոբերտ Սեդրակի Քոչարյան ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh fro ...
on 28 December 1999, renamed the college to the Military Institute named after
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 ...
, the first Armenian Defense Minister and the
Prime Minister of Armenia
The prime minister of Armenia is the head of government and most senior minister within the Armenian government, and is required by the constitution to "determine the main directions of policy of the Government, manage the activities of the Gov ...
who was killed in the
Armenian parliament shooting
The 1999 Armenian parliament shooting, commonly known in Armenia as October 27 (Հոկտեմբերի 27, ''Hoktemberi k’sanyot’''), was a terrorist
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state o ...
two months prior. On 12 February 2000, the institute was awarded the Battle Flag as a symbol of military honor.
On 27 January 2006, a center for raising the qualification of officers was established at the Military Institute.
On 28 April 2012, by the decision of the Government, the Military Institute was reorganized into a military university.
In 2013, the university admitted its first group of female cadets. In 2019, the Minister of Education and Science awarded the university with a 4-year institutional accreditation certificate.
University educational aspects
Requirements
Applicants will need to pass a medical examination as well as take entrance exams. High scores in the
Armenian language
Armenian ( classical: , reformed: , , ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is the official language of Armenia. Historically spoken in the Armenian Highlands, today Armenian is widely spoken th ...
, physics and mathematics is required for the exam.
Faculties and departments
The faculty of infantry trains commanders for motorized infantry, tanks, intelligence, field engineer platoons, engineers of military wheeled vehicles and officers with a civil bachelor's degree. In 2013, the Faculty of Command and Staff was established, which was named in 2017 after Marshal
Ivan Bagramyan
Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan,; russian: Ива́н Христофо́рович Баграмя́н, link=no also known as Hovhannes Khachaturi Baghramyan; russian: Оване́с Хачату́рович Баграмя́н, link=no ( – 2 ...
.
With the donation of the Vardanyan family, the Department of Physical Fitness and Sports of the Military University was supplemented with new training equipment and a wrestling mat.
Courses
The
Greek language
Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy ( Calabria and Salento), southe ...
is among the taught languages at the university.
Student life
State functions
The cadets of the university are regular participants in all
military parades
A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...
in
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
.
Church
On 2 August 2020, the Church of St. Mesrop Mashtots was opened. The first stone of the church was laid in 2013 at the initiative of the former head of the military university. Construction was interrupted for a period of time, but in 2020, by order of Defense Minister
David Tonoyan
David Edgari Tonoyan ( Armenian:Դավիթ Էդգարի Տոնոյան; born 27 December 1967) is an Armenian political figure and former Defence Minister of Armenia, in office from 2018 to 2020.
Biography Early life and career
David Tonoya ...
, the construction of the church was resumed and was brought to an end. The Church of St. Mesrop Mashtots functions on the territory of the military university.
Cooperation
The Military University actively cooperates with leading
Armenian universities,
non-governmental organizations, the
Yerkrapah
Yerkrapah Volunteer Union ( hy, «Երկրապահ» կամավորական միություն, ԵԿՄ ''«Yerkrapah» kamavorakan miut'yun, YeKM'') or Yerkrapah Union of Veterans, meaning ''Defenders of the Land'', is an Armenian non-governmental ...
Volunteers, local self-government bodies, and cultural and artistic figures. Visits to concert halls, theaters, museums, historical and cultural centers, participation in
Olympiad
An olympiad ( el, Ὀλυμπιάς, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the ancient and modern Olympic Games.
Although the ancient Olympics were established during Greece's Archaic Era, it was not unti ...
s, competitions are an integral part of the cadets' daily life.
List of Commandants of the University
* Colonel Alexander Minasyan (1994–1996)
* Major General Ashot Petrosyan (1996–1997)
* Major General Arshaluys Paytyan (1998–2000)
* Lieutenant General Stepan Mirzoyan (2000–2007)
* Major General Garegin Gabrielyan (2007–2008)
* Lieutenant General Martin Karapetyan (2008–2015)
* Major General Armen Ghahramanyan (2015–2018)
* Colonel Khachatur Khachatryan (2019–2022)
*
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Arthur Yeroyan (2022–present)
Notable graduates
*
Artsrun Hovhannisyan
Artsrun Karapeti Hovhannisyan ( hy, Արծրուն Կարապետի Հովհաննիսյան, born 30 January 1980 in Tsoghamarg) is the former press secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Armenia, a military expert and analyst. From March to J ...
, press secretary of the Ministry of Defence (2012-2020)
See also
*
War College of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces
The Military Academy of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələrinin Hərbi Akademiyası, russian: Военная Академия Вооруженных сил Азербайджанской Республики) transla ...
*
National Defense Academy (Georgia)
The David Aghmashenebeli National Defence Academy ( ka, დავით აღმაშენებლის ეროვნული თავდაცვის აკადემია, tr) also known commonly as the ETA is the main military inst ...
*
List of universities in Armenia
This is a list of universities in Armenia.
Public State universities
As of 2022, Armenia has 27 state universities (23 in the capital Yerevan and 4 outside the capital):
;Yerevan
* Yerevan State University (1919)
* National University of Architect ...
References
{{CIS Military Academies
Universities in Armenia
Military academies of Armenia
Educational institutions established in 1994
Ministry of Defence (Armenia)
1994 establishments in Armenia