1st Special Forces Regiment (Armenia)
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The
special operation forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
of Armenia are the
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
and
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
units of
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
that are charged with conducting
special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...
to protect the foreign and domestic interests of Armenia. The Although the exact definition of their role is unknown, like most other special forces worldwide, it includes
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
,
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
, and
unconventional warfare Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces or actions such as subversion, diversion, sabotage, espionage, biowarfare, sanctions, propaga ...
. These special operations forces operate under the jurisdiction of a few agencies and services, namely the
Armenian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia (, abbreviated ՀՀ ԶՈՒ, ''HH ZU''), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army (), is the national military of Armenia. It consists of personnel branches under the General Staff of the Armenian Arm ...
, the National Security Service, the Special Investigative Service of Armenia, and the
Police of Armenia The Police of the Republic of Armenia () is the national police of Armenia. History Soviet era The first police service of Armenia was formed in 1918, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the First Republic of Armenia. On April 21, 1920, ...
. The special operations forces of the Armenian Army are sometimes called the Armenian
Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...
. Special forces and special operations capable units of the military are under the command of the
Armenian Army The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia (, abbreviated ՀՀ ԶՈՒ, ''HH ZU''), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army (), is the national military of Armenia. It consists of personnel branches under the General Staff of the Armenian Arm ...
. Their assignments and missions are similar to that of the
Spetsnaz GRU Spetsnaz GRU, formally known as Special Forces of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, () is the special forces (''spetsnaz'') of the GRU (Russian Federation), GRU, the foreign military intelligence agency of ...
. They consist of a Special Forces Brigade , directly subordinated to Ground forces command, and five reconnaissance regiment , each one subordinated to one of the four army corps . The 1st Special Forces Brigade (''1-ին գնդակից հատուկ նպատակ - 1-in Gndakits’ Hatuk Npatak'') was formed in 1992 and received its first military baptism that. The military unit was on permanent combat duty in the Ararat-Vayk border zone. Between 1992 and 1994, the military unit suffered 61 casualties. In 2007, for its 15th anniversary was awarded the "Battle Cross of the Second Degree". The Special Forces Regiment consists of the best-trained and the most battle hardened soldiers in the Armenian military. Its commander, inner organisation, and most of its operational history are unknown. The regiment uses the most advanced weaponry and technology available to the
Armenian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia (, abbreviated ՀՀ ԶՈՒ, ''HH ZU''), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army (), is the national military of Armenia. It consists of personnel branches under the General Staff of the Armenian Arm ...
. Since its formation, the unit took part in two of the most complicated and well-noted military operations of modern
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
, these being the securing of the Armenian pilot's remains and helicopter parts after the
2014 Armenian Mil Mi-24 shootdown On 12 November 2014, an Armenian Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter (NATO reporting name "Hind") was shot down by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, killing all three crew members. Events According to the Armenian side, ...
and the rerouting of Azerbaijani forces from the village of Talysh and its surroundings during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes. The
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
are under the command of their respective army corps. Their role include infiltration behind enemy lines,
sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...
, support of frontline units in case of attacks Azerbaijani ground units, and much more. Not much is known about these units, except that they were involved in the 4 days war and are routinely used to rout attacking Azerbaijani sabotage units.


Special forces of the National Security Service

The National Security Service has under its control regional special forces units, rapid-response units within the
Armenian Border Guard The Armenian Border Guard () is the branch of the National Security Service of Armenia that is responsible for monitoring and guarding Armenia's borders with neighbors Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran and Georgia. The border guard works in conjunction wit ...
, and
Alpha Group Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group, officially Directorate "A" of FSB Special Purpose Center (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is a sub-unit of Russian special forces within the Russian Special Forces Center of the Feder ...
. Regional special forces units are under the command of the regional bureaus of the NSS. There is a unit in each Marz, and one in the Capital. They're mostly used as fast reaction forces in case of a major crime or a terrorist attack, but are also trained to conduct arrests of dangerous
criminals In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Cane ...
. They gained nationwide respect and popularity after conducting the arrest of major crime figures linked to the pre-
2018 Armenian revolution The 2018 Armenian Revolution, most commonly known in Armenia as #MerzhirSerzhin (, meaning "#RejectSerzh"), was a series of anti-government protests in Armenia from April to May 2018 staged by various political and civil groups led by a member ...
government during the second half of 2018. The rapid-response units are the
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
arm of the Armenian Border Guard, having a wide range of missions similar to that of the US
BORTAC The Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) is one of two police tactical units in the Special Operations Group, under the United States Border Patrol (USBP) that specialize in counterterrorism, high-risk tactical law enforcement situations, hostage ...
. The NSS Alpha Group is Armenia's elite counter-terrorism unit, formed after the 1999
Armenian parliament shooting The 1999 Armenian parliament shooting, commonly known in Armenia as October 27 (), was a Terrorism, terrorist attack on the Armenian National Assembly (Armenia), National Assembly in the capital of Yerevan on 27 October 1999 by a group of five a ...
, in order to be the main response of the Government of Armenia to domestic and foreign terrorism threats. Composed of the most experienced, well-trained and equipped operators in
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
, Alpha Group has a reputation as the best special forces unit in the country. The first publicly acknowledged action of the group was during the
2016 Yerevan hostage crisis On 17 July 2016, a group of armed men calling themselves the ''Daredevils of Sasun'' (; the name is taken from an epic poem) stormed a police station in Yerevan, Armenia and took nine hostages. They demanded the release of opposition leader Ji ...
, where
snipers A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...
were used to incapacitate some members of the Sasna Tsrer terrorist cell, without killing them, leading to their capture and to the group's surrender a few days later. It is also rumored to have taken part in the 2018 anti-corruption crackdown. Any other operation performed by the unit is unknown.


Special forces of the Special Investigative Service of Armenia

The Special Investigative Service of Armenia maintains a small tactical unit in order to not be dependent on other agencies. Very little is known about the most recent member of the Armenian special operations community.


Special forces of the Police of Armenia

The
Police of Armenia The Police of the Republic of Armenia () is the national police of Armenia. History Soviet era The first police service of Armenia was formed in 1918, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the First Republic of Armenia. On April 21, 1920, ...
maintains two types of special units that are extremely similar to the Russian
OMON OMON is a system of military special police units within the Armed Forces of Russia. It previously operated within the structures of the Soviet and Russian Ministries of Internal Affairs (MVD). Originating as the special forces unit of the So ...
and
SOBR The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR (), from 2002 to 2011 known as OMSN (''Otryad Militsii Spetsial'nogo Naznacheniya'', Special Police Unit), is a spetsnaz unit of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya).With their military equipmen ...
in terms of role, training and weaponry. These units are the Patrol police and the special intervention unit of the Police of Armenia. The Patrol police of Armenia is a multitask force used in some of the most dangerous situations. They conduct high-risk
arrests An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...
and some tactical operations, but they've also been used multiple times to disperse crowds during large-scale
protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
, making them the best-known and least popular unit in Armenia's law enforcement apparatus. They wear a distinctive red
beret A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...
along with an urban camouflage
uniform A uniform is a variety of costume worn by members of an organization while usually participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency serv ...
. The
2016 Yerevan hostage crisis On 17 July 2016, a group of armed men calling themselves the ''Daredevils of Sasun'' (; the name is taken from an epic poem) stormed a police station in Yerevan, Armenia and took nine hostages. They demanded the release of opposition leader Ji ...
took place in the local base of the patrol police, as the hostage takers saw them as the "bulldogs" of the previous authoritarian governments. The special intervention unit is a
SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
-type unit, being mostly used to deal with dangerous criminals.https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=armenian+police+special+forces, YouTube. Retrieved May 25 2020. Not much is known about them.


References

{{reflist Military units and formations of Armenia Special forces by country