Armenia, U.S. Hold Military Exercise as Defense Ties Expand

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The second iteration of Eagle Partner, a joint Armenia-U.S. military exercise, was held in Armenia from July 15 to 24.

The exercise was announced less than ten days before its start, on July 6. Armenia’s Defense Ministry said that service members from Armenia’s peacekeeping brigade, U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF), and the Kansas National Guard would participate, with a focus on “stabilization tasks” between conflicting parties during a peacekeeping mission.

“The purpose of the exercise is to enhance the interoperability of units participating in international peacekeeping missions, exchange best practices in control and tactical communication, and improve the readiness of the Armenian unit,” the Armenian MoD statement said.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa stated that the exercise would “build on Armenian and U.S. collective ability to conduct peacekeeping operations by performing gunnery and stability training, weapons familiarization, and range management.” The training “allows troops from both nations to become familiar with each other’s equipment,” it said.

The opening ceremony of Eagle Partner 24 took place at the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy in Yerevan and was attended by Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and U.S. Ambassador Kristina Kvien. Papikyan said in his speech that he “highly appreciates” and “values” the bilateral defense cooperation. Ambassador Kvien in her opening remarks said that it is “very clear just how much our bilateral cooperation has grown.”

The U.S. military described this iteration as having a “much bigger scale and scope than the last one.” Neither side publicly disclosed the number of service members participating in the exercise. U.S. Army Europe and Africa told EVN Report via email that “approximately 270” U.S. troops were participating, while Armenia’s MoD refused to reveal the number of Armenian personnel, claiming it was classified information. The previous iteration, held in September 2023, involved around 85 American and 175 Armenian soldiers, according to the U.S. side. If we assume the same ratio, roughly 555 Armenians may have participated this time.

The U.S. flew the same C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft four times from Ramstein, Germany to Armenia to transport troops, equipment, and military vehicles. Apart from the Kansas National Guard, U.S. personnel also came from 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 30th Medical Brigade, 7th Army Training Command, and other units. There were nine American service members of Armenian descent who stepped down from their primary jobs within the American military to volunteer as interpreters during the exercise.

The expansion in scale and scope was also evident in the equipment used during the exercise. The U.S. brought no less than four Stryker infantry carrier vehicles [1] and at least one Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). A Stryker equipped with a mounted 30mm gun was used in a live-fire exercise, while another, marked with a red cross, was used by U.S. Army combat medics for casualty evacuation training.

The exercise further saw the use of Armenia’s Bastion armored personnel carrier vehicles, supplied by France, in patrol training and armed vehicle convoy exercises.[2] Additionally, helmet-mounted Spartan-S thermal imaging sights, made by Tonbo in Bengaluru, India, were spotted during Eagle Partner. In the past two years, India and France have emerged as Armenia’s chief arms suppliers.

The exercise took place at three locations: the Zar training ground east of Abovyan, the Baghramyan training ground in Armavir, and Pambak. The last iteration had taken place solely at Zar, which was improved with U.S. support in 2022.

The exercises ranged from peacekeeping training and live-fire drills, and crowd control training, to urban operations, weapon familiarization with RPGs, fire training, and casualty/medical evacuation.

Three American generals observed the exercise, including Major General James Kriesel, director of strategic planning, evaluating military operations, and managing reserve forces at the U.S. European Command (EUCOM); Brigadier General Andrew Saslav, responsible for operational planning and execution within the U.S. Army Europe and Africa, and Brigadier General Anthony Mohatt, commander of the Kansas Army National Guard.

The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) said in a social media post that the “training highlights the strong partnership between the U.S. and Armenia.” The Pentagon’s multimedia distribution hub said the bilateral exercises “tangibly represent U.S. commitment to Armenia.” In an interview with Hetq, Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya said while the exercise is “pre-planned”, we are witnessing a “deepening of longstanding positive defense and civilian security cooperation” between the two countries.

Russian and Azerbaijani Reactions

Both Russia and Azerbaijan criticized the exercises. In a briefing on July 12, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the exercise “evoke[s] nothing but regret”, especially in the context of Armenia freezing its CSTO membership. She said the West “imposes” NATO standards “through maneuvers and training programs under its auspices”, which leads to the acquisition of additional levers of influence on Armenia’s domestic and foreign policy. She later said while Russia remains committed to its allied obligations toward Armenia, a question must be raised as to whether Armenia is committed to its allied obligations. “Such steps by Yerevan, acquiring a systemic character, undermine the prospects for the functioning of established interaction mechanisms in this area,” she said.

Azerbaijani state-affiliated media claimed on July 23 that three days earlier Armenia had supposedly fired Western-supplied “large-caliber weapons” against Azerbaijani forces in Kelbajar “with the participation of military advisers” from the U.S., France and the EU to test them in a combat situation. It further insisted that the supposed incident, denied by Armenia’s Defense Ministry, took place “right in the middle” of the Armenia-U.S. joint exercise, which, it claimed is “clearly intended to prepare for offensive and sabotage operations in mountainous terrain,” or in other words, in the areas bordering Azerbaijan.

These claims were repeated by Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry on July 25. In a statement, it linked the supposed Kelbajar incident and the supposed use of a quadcopter drone by Armenia for reconnaissance purposes in Tovuz to the joint Armenia-U.S. exercise, France’s weapons supplies to Armenia, and the EU’s non-lethal €10 million military aid via the European Peace Facility (EPF). Azerbaijan said the West “encourages … Armenia to carry out such provocations and indicate its preparation for another war against Azerbaijan.” It threatened to use all means at its disposal for “self-defense” if “these provocative actions” are not stopped.

Historical Background

The first iteration of Eagle Partner in September 2023, was the first joint military exercise since 2008 according to U.S. Ambassador Kristina Kvien. Previous exercises involving Armenian and American personnel, however, took part in multinational, not bilateral format. 

Armenian soldiers first took part in NATO drills in June 2002 in Georgia. The first NATO-led military exercises in Armenia, named Cooperative Best Effort 2003, were held from June 16 to 27, 2003. It brought together around 400 service members from 19 countries, including nine NATO members, such as the U.S., the UK, Italy, Poland, Greece, and even Turkey. It took place as part of NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program and saw the participation of Russian troops stationed in Armenia. The participants formed a single battalion to engage in simulated peacekeeping operations by practicing convoy escort, ambush defense and establishing checkpoints. Both NATO and Armenia praised it as a success.

Another NATO-led exercise, named Cooperative Longbow/Lancer–2008, took place in Armenia five years later, from September 29 to October 20, 2008. Nearly 900 troops from 17, including eight NATO countries, participated in training ranging from evacuation of non-combatant civilians to counter-terrorist activities and stabilization operations.

For comparison, the U.S. and Georgia conducted six joint exercises named Noble Partner every year from 2015 and 2022 (except 2019 and 2021). This year’s iteration was indefinitely postponed by the U.S., which has initiated a comprehensive review of its ties with Georgia. Between 2011 and 2023, Armenia’s northern neighbor also hosted the NATO-led multinational exercise Agile Spirit 11 times. The latest iteration in 2023 included 1,200 American service members and troops from 20 other NATO states.

Footnotes:

[1]  In photos published by the U.S. military, Stryker vehicles with bumper numbers G-24, G-52, G-70 are visible. A fourth vehicle, with an illegible marking, is seen with a mounted 30mm gun.
[2] Armenia has ordered a total of 50 Bastion vehicles from France, 24 of which were delivered in November 2023, while 26 are reportedly expected this summer. The first photos of Bastion vehicles in Armenia were posted online in February by a French Senator. The vehicles were also seen during a special forces exercise in early June.

EVN Security Report

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