The Honour Guard Company of the Ministry of Defence of Armenia () is a military unit of

Armed Forces of Armenia 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 Arme ...

that performs protocol tasks for high-ranking officials at the

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

and the Prime Minister's Residence. The unit is under direct command of the

Ministry of Defence of Armenia The Ministry of Defence of Armenia () often abbreviated to the RA Ministry of Defence is an Armenian governmental agency in charge of overseeing the development of the Armed Forces of Armenia. The Ministry of Defence is also the executive body wh ...

. Most members of the unit are graduates of the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University.

Overview

The company was established on 18 January 1993. The unit's first major event was the funeral of Monte Melkonian in June 1993. The first official welcoming ceremony that the honour guard took part in was for the visit of Russian Defense Minister

Pavel Grachev Pavel Sergeyevich Grachev (; 1 January 1948 – 23 September 2012), sometimes transliterated as Grachov or Grachyov, was a Russian Army General and the Defence Minister of the Russian Federation from 1992 to 1996; in 1988 he was awarded Hero ...

in 1994. That same day, then unit commander Ashot Hakobyan was promoted to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. The company has taken part in the traditional

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

on Republic Square since its inception 1996. In 2010 and 2015, the soldiers from company took part in the Moscow Victory Day Parade and was considered by Russian Defense Minister

Sergei Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as secretary of the Security Council since 2024. He served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Shoigu has served a ...

as one of the best marching contingents in the latter. Members of the drill team have also participated in events involving the Russian 102nd Military Base based in

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

. Other foreign events have included the

Bastille Day military parade The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July military parade, translation of the French name of , is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of Bastille Day, 14 July, each year in Paris since 1880, almost with ...

in 2014 and the

Festa della Repubblica ''Festa della Repubblica'' (; English: ''Republic Day'') is the Italian National Day and Republic Day, which is celebrated on 2 June each year, with the main celebration taking place in Rome. The ''Festa della Repubblica'' is one of the nationa ...

parade in 2011 as well as a side performance at the

International Defence Exhibition The International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) is a biennial arms and defence technology sales exhibition. The exhibition is the largest defence exhibition and conference in the Middle East and takes place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emir ...

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

in 2019. Since 2018, the unit has performed guard duty at the Prime Minister's Residence at

Baghramyan Avenue Marshal Baghramyan Avenue () is an avenue in the central Kentron District, Kentron and the northwestern Arabkir District, Arabkir districts of Yerevan, Armenia. The avenue is named after the Soviet Union, Soviet Armenian people, Armenian commande ...

. On the 75th anniversary of the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 2020, servicemen of the unit took the combat flags of the 6 Armenian national divisions out of the Mother Armenia Military History Museum and handed them over to Armenian veterans of the war.

Requirements

In order to serve in the unit recruits must have a height of between 180 centimeters (5 ft 9 in) to 187 centimeters (6 ft 1 in). They are also required to maintain good health and have to have a college education (either from the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University or one of the country's universities).

Organizational structure

The unit has the following sub-units: * Welcoming Group – Consists of 27 soldiers which includes one commander, one

color guard In Military, military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of Colours, standards and guidons, regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is highly prestigious, and the mil ...

, and 24 personnel. * Wreath Laying Group – Consists of 2–3 personnel. It is usually active at solemn ceremonies at

Tsitsernakaberd The Armenian Genocide Memorial complex (, ''Hayots tseghaspanutyan zoheri hushahamalir'', or Ծիծեռնակաբերդ, '' Tsitsernakaberd'') is Armenia's official memorial Armenian genocide recognition, dedicated to the victims of the Armenian g ...

and Mother Armenia. * Drill Team Group The unit performed

exhibition drill Exhibition drill is a variant of drill that involves complex marching sequences which usually deviate from drill used in the course of ordinary parades. Teams performing exhibition drill are often affiliated with military units, but the scope of ...

for the first time in 2009 during the celebrations dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Military Institute. It also performed during an event dedicated to

Army Day An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by p ...

in the main hall of the

Yerevan Opera Theatre The Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (), simply known by locals as , is an opera theatre in Yerevan. It officially opened on 20 January 1933, with a performance of Alexander Spendiaryan's opera '' Almast'' as its ...

Weapons

Vladimir Putin in Armenia 14-15 September 2001-1

The unit currently utilizes the

SKS The SKS () is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov in the 1940s. The SKS was first produced in the Soviet Union but was later widely exported and manufactured by various nations. Its disting ...

rifle during drill, having adopted it in 2006. It previously used the

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...

from 1991–2006. Drill with both of these weapons is completely different, with the biggest difference being seen in how both look when they are in the present arms position (the SKS is kept straight while in this position while the bottom of the AK-47 is kept facing to the left).

Commanders

The unit has had the following commanders: * Colonel Ashot Hakobyan (1993–2005) * Lieutenant Colonel Vardan Khanferyants (2005–2009) * Lieutenant Colonel Sokrat Vardanyan (2009–Present) After leading the drill routine during the 2011 military parade, President

Serzh Sargsyan Serzh Azati Sargsyan (, ; born 30 June 1954)Official biography of Serzh Sargsyan

awarded Vardanyan with the "For Services to the Motherland" second degree medal. Colonel Hakobyan, a former Kremlin Cadet himself, led the Separate Regiment of Protection 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 ...

during the

2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade The 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allies of World War II, Allied ...

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

. Vardanyan accompanied Hakobyan in the contingent, leading the color guard of the flag of the 89th Rifle Division.

Gallery

File:Vladimir Putin in Armenia,24 April 2015 14.jpg, Members of the Wreath laying group. File:Vladimir Putin in Armenia, December 2013 (2236-01).jpg, Members of the Honours group. File:2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade-8.jpeg, Members of the unit during the

2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade The 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade was held on Victory Day (9 May), 9 May 2010 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the German Instrument of Surrender, capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The parade marks the Soviet Union's victory in the ...

. File:Dmitry Medvedev in Armenia 19 August 2010-2.jpeg, Russian President

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

inspecting the company in August 2010. File:Vladimir Putin in Armenia, December 2013 (2236-04).jpg, The company in front of Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

and Armenian President

Serzh Sargsyan Serzh Azati Sargsyan (, ; born 30 June 1954)Official biography of Serzh Sargsyan

. File:Lieutenant Colonel Sokrat Vardanyan.jpeg, Lieutenant Colonel Sokrat Vardanyan

References

External links

{{commonscat, Honour guards from Armenia
«Պատիվ ունեմ» փոխգնդապետ Սոկրատ Վարդանյան

The battalion performing during an Armenian independence day parade in 2016The battalion performing an

Exhibition drill Exhibition drill is a variant of drill that involves complex marching sequences which usually deviate from drill used in the course of ordinary parades. Teams performing exhibition drill are often affiliated with military units, but the scope of ...

in 2011
TIGRAN BAGDASARYAN PPV
Military units and formations of Armenia Guards of honour Military units and formations established in 1993 Ministry of Defence of Armenia