US Supplies Military Equipment, Personnel to Armenia: Report

Two military aircraft landed at Zvartnots Airport in Armenia, departing from US bases in Romania and the Middle East, on August 2 and 3, according to global flight tracking service Flightradar.

These Boeing C-17 military transport planes, belonging to the US Armed Forces, delivered both military equipment and personnel, Baku-based Caliber.Az news service reported, citing unnamed sources.

As part of the classified section of a trilateral document signed between Armenia, the US, and the EU on April 5 in Brussels, the Armenian Armed Forces reportedly received a shipment of next-generation US-made weapons.

This included sniper rifles, night vision devices, specialized communication tools, body armor for Armenian special forces, strike mini-drones, small-scale mines, and various other munitions.

Additionally, large quantities of weapons and ammunition were delivered to Armenia on board the US military transport planes, Caliber.Az reported. The materiel is reportedly modified to suit the local terrain and military conditions based on intelligence data on Azerbaijani army positions gathered by an EU mission.

The task of the EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) is to observe and report on the security situation along the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan.

One of the two planes delivered special devices capable of tracking the trajectories of missiles and other flying objects launched from Iran, the report said. The devices are reportedly set to be deployed along Armenia's border with Iran as a preventive measure to counteract a potential threat of an attack on Israel from Iranian territory.

Furthermore, the US deployed 30-50 personnel to operate these devices. These personnel reportedly consist mostly of US citizens of Armenian descent serving in the American military, as well as individuals of Slavic and Caucasian appearance who have emigrated from post-Soviet states to the US.

These troops, outfitted in Armenian military uniforms, are stationed at an Armenian Armed Forces base in the Zangezur region (known as Syunik in Armenia).

Before supplying the arms, a US military delegation from the Army Europe and Africa and the Kansas National Guard conducted ten-day exercises for Armenian special forces from July 15 to 24, focusing on the use of the new equipment. After these exercises, Armenian forces carried out a military provocation against Azerbaijani units in the Kalbajar region to evaluate the effectiveness of the new weapons in real combat conditions.

This development comes amid Washington’s efforts to achieve a lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was an “extraordinary opportunity, potential” to realize a peace agreement between the two countries to end decades of conflict and create an opportunity for economic connectivity and growth in the region.

Later, James O’Brien, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs stated that the US is actively facilitating the conclusion of a just and durable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He highlighted the importance of both countries’ strong desire for peace as crucial for signing a peace agreement.

Baku-based political analyst Vasif Huseynov says the expanding military supplies to Armenia are stirring up tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan and threatening the fragile state of relations between the two countries, recalling French deliveries of Caesar self-propelled howitzers and Bastion armore personnel vehicles to Armenia.

“This level of militarization through supplies from multiple sources has caused alarm in Baku, where many officials warn against the detrimental consequences for peace and stability in the region. Azerbaijani officials’ concerns are amplified by the fact that revanchist-minded political and societal groups in Armenia do not acknowledge the postwar realities in the region and are calling for a military takeover of Karabakh and other Azerbaijani territories,” Huseynov notes.

In October 2023, Benjamin Pogosyan, the chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies in Yerevan, claimed that the military intervention was the only way “to end Azerbaijani control over Nagorno Karabakh [Karabakh region]” for “securing the right of return of Armenians”.

Furthermore, Armenia's Constitution has references to the Declaration of Independence posing territorial claims against Azerbaijan as it endorses the unification of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region with Armenia. Authorities of Azerbaijan have highlighted that as long as this clause remains in Armenia’s Constitution, a peace agreement will not be possible as constitution is higher than any other document, including an international treaty.