Today on January 28, Armenia is celebrating the 19th anniversary of the national army. It was established in conjunction with the other components of Armenia’s military on January 28, 1992.

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 Azerbaijani unites 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. The third phase began after the end of the war and continues on until today.

On September 25, 2002, the Armenian National Assembly made a decision “On holidays and anniversaries” and January 28 was officially declared Armenian Army Day.

On January 27, festive events began in Holy See of Mother Etchmadzin, in which a holy liturgy was conducted. The same day Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan awarded servicemen. Soldiers and officers also received state awards during a solemn ceremony at Armenian Defense Ministry.