Military service term to be reduced to one and a half years from January 1, 2026 – Pashinyan
21.10.2025,
12:52
The term of military service will be reduced from two years to one and a half years from January 1, 2026.
YEREVAN, October 21. /ARKA/. The term of military service will be reduced from two years to one and a half years from January 1, 2026. This was announced by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
"The Minister of Defense introduced a legislative initiative proposing to set the term of military service in Armenia at one and a half years instead of two. Initially, this provision was planned to come into effect with the summer conscription of 2026. However, today I held a discussion with the Minister of Defense, and earlier with my fellow members of parliament," Pashinyan said.
According to him, a decision has been made that the law will come into effect earlier – on January 1, 2026.
"That is, starting January 1, 2026, with the winter draft, the length of military service in Armenia will be 1.5 years instead of 2 years," Pashinyan said.
In September 2025, the Armenian Ministry of Defense submitted a draft law for public discussion proposing to shorten the length of mandatory military service by six months. The rationale for the bill notes that the Armenian government's 2021-2026 program envisages a reduction in the length of mandatory military service by increasing the length of contract service.
