ARMY OF THE 21ST CENTURY

The Army Day undoubtedly has a special place among the state holidays of Azerbaijan. This year it is doubly significant, since the Azerbaijani people celebrated the 103rd anniversary of their army as a winner. The great victory in the Garabagh war demonstrated the strength and power of the Azerbaijani army, which meets the aspirations of our grandfathers, all those who stood at its origins and contributed to strengthening of one of the most instrumental institutions of the statehood of Azerbaijan.

Glorious path

The official history of the Azerbaijani army begins on June 26, 1918, when the government of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic created the first military unit – the Separate Azerbaijani Corps, which later played an invaluable role in ensuring the physical existence and security of our people. Today we are grateful to the outstanding figures and commanders of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), including the military ministers Khosrov-bey Sultanov and Samedagha Mehmandarov, the commander of the Azerbaijan corps, Deputy Minister of War Aliagha Shikhlinsky, Habib Salimov and the Chief of the General Staff Magomet Sulkevich. We can list the names of thousands of officers and soldiers of the ADR National Army, many of whom gave their lives on the battlefields for the freedom and territorial unity of Azerbaijan.

Demonstrating miracles of heroism, courage and self-sacrifice, Azerbaijani soldiers continued the line of their grandfathers by liberating our lands and the whole world from Nazis during the Second World War. Together with the soldiers from other republics of the former USSR, Azerbaijani soldiers and officers covered a long distance from the Caucasus to Berlin as part of the heroic national divisions and took part in the liberation of many European countries, hence inscribing their names in the glorious annals of victory over fascism.

After regaining its independence in October 1991, the construction of a national army in Azerbaijan became a vital necessity for the young republic, which again, as in 1918-1920, suffered from the Armenian aggression. During the large-scale hostilities in 1991-1994, thousands of Azerbaijani soldiers and officers sacrificed their lives for the freedom and independence of the motherland!

The actual construction of the regular Azerbaijani army dates back to the end of 1993, when the outstanding politician of the global scale Heydar Aliyev returned to the country's leadership. The key strategic goal of his policy of comprehensive strengthening and modernization of the Armed Forces was aimed at forcing Armenia to withdraw from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. At the beginning of 1994, as a result of the successful Horadiz counter-offensive, the Azerbaijani army liberated part of the Fuzuli district.

It was not until April 2016 when the Azerbaijani army demonstrated the first success of its long-term defense policy and its readiness to restore the territorial integrity of the country. As a result of the four-day counter-offensive, Azerbaijan regained control of a number of strategic heights. In the summer of 2018, the army achieved another success: over 11,000 hectares of land in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic were liberated from the Armenian occupation, including the village of Gunnut in the Sharur district and the important strategic heights around.

A few days after the Gunnut operation, President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in his speech at the solemn military parade held in Baku on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the National Army: “The war is not over yet. It was only its first stage. Our objective is to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan... We have created a very strong army. Let the enemy know that it does not have a single military or strategic facility that the Azerbaijani army could not destroy..."

Even three years ago the renowned military experts and global strategic centres stated that the army of Azerbaijan is the strongest in the South Caucasus. The high level of combat readiness, the successful development of the military industry of Azerbaijan, coupled with the purchase of the most advanced military equipment from abroad - these and other factors of strategic importance determined the country's defense potential. Its readiness to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was confirmed at the end of September 2020, with the start of the 44-day victorious war.

War heroes of the 21st century

During the first days of the war, many world experts were skeptic that the advancing Azerbaijani army would be able to achieve significant success in a relatively short period of time due to the complex relief of the territory and the deeply echeloned defense line of the Armenian army. It was suggested that Azerbaijan would be satisfied, as in April 2016, only by recapturing several strategically important heights.

However, the course of the war refuted the validity of such judgments. Consistently crushing the enemy, the Azerbaijani army completely destroyed the defense system of Armenian occupiers that had been created for almost three decades, squeezed them out of a number of regions of Garabagh and, to put a full-point at the end of the counter-offensive, liberated Shusha. The defeated Armenia with its "invincible army" was forced to surrender and peacefully return the Azerbaijani territories still under its control.

Such a brilliant victory of the Azerbaijani Army was a result of careful preparation and strategic planning. The three pillars that ensured the triumph of the modern Azerbaijani counteroffensive operation were reconnaissance, long-range fire damage and drone strikes. It is no coincidence that Azerbaijan's military operation Iron Fist has been later introduced in the training program of leading military academies around the world.

The heroic Azerbaijani army demonstrated a high-tech war of the 21st century, the main distinguishing feature of which was the unprecedented use of modern weaponry. The key role of drones, in general, means high-precision destruction of targets and raised a question of revising the importance of armoured vehicles in modern military. In addition, the tactics of the Azerbaijani army to eliminate the enemy, particularly its air defense system, deserve close attention.

However, the main factor in the victory of Azerbaijan is, undoubtedly, the Azerbaijani soldier himself. Soldiers and officers aware of the just cause of the Azerbaijani people - the sacred mission of liberating the Motherland, displayed unparalleled heroism on the fields of war. We bow our heads before the blessed memory of all the martyrs, whom we owe our Great Victory.

Azerbaijan continues to improve its army

President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev played an instrumental personal role in achieving the victory. Thanks to his leadership, it was possible to successfully develop the army, to provide it with modern and effective weapons, to conduct intensive work on the appropriate training of officers, army personnel, as well as to approve not only the military, but also the economic, political, diplomatic, information and propaganda foundations of the Great Victory. All this is a result of Ilham Aliyev’s strategy primarily targeted to the liberation of the Azerbaijani lands.

Today, no one in the world has any doubts that the army of Azerbaijan is the strongest in the South Caucasus and one of the most efficient in the world. Meanwhile, the victory in the Garabagh war provided Azerbaijan with a significant incentive to further strengthen its Army and the country's defense potential. Part of this process will undoubtedly be the continuation of strategic cooperation with closest allies and partners, including the intensification of joint military exercises and the deepening of military-technical ties. In general, everything that will further enhance the defense potential of Azerbaijan, consolidate its position as a regional power, as well as ensure its eternal strategic superiority over Armenia, which still refuses to take decisive steps towards achieving regional peace, especially the rejection of territorial claims against our country.

Therefore, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, on the day of the celebration of the 103rd anniversary of the creation of our Armed Forces, meeting with the leadership of the Azerbaijani army, called on Armenia to realize that we will certainly strengthen after the war. For “after the end of the war, appropriate instructions were given, new contracts were signed, the process of purchasing new weapons based on modern technologies began. I can say that the number of army personnel will be increased. After the appropriate analysis of the results and course of the Second Garabagh War, we will, of course, build up our military power. If Armenia does not abandon its hostile policy towards Azerbaijan, then it will not have a chance to restore not only the destroyed army, but also its economic activity."