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 The Ministry of Defence of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի պաշտպանության նախարարություն) often abbreviated to the RA Ministry of Defence is an Armenian governmental agency in charge of overseeing the development of the ...

. 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 metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

History

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 from ...

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 1 ...

, 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 Government of Armenia, Armenian government, and is required by the constitution to "determine the main directions of policy of the Government, manage the ...

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 attack on the Armenian National Assembly in the capital of Yerevan on 27 October 1999 by a gr ...

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 t ...

, 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), southern Al ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

, 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 until ...

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 of ...

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 Ju ...

, press secretary of the Ministry of Defence (2012-2020)

References

{{CIS Military Academies Universities in Armenia Military academies of Armenia Educational institutions established in 1994 Ministry of Defence (Armenia) 1994 establishments in Armenia