ADefenceIndependent states
Armed Forces of Azerbaijan
An army founded in 1918 and re-established in 1991 that won the Patriotic War in 2020.
Azerbaijan's army was founded by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on 26 June 1918, now Armed Forces Day. After independence was restored, the national army was re-established in October 1991.
The Armed Forces comprise the Land Forces, the Air and Air Defence Forces and the Navy, alongside Special Forces. The army works closely with Türkiye: the Shusha Declaration signed in 2021 enshrines allied relations between the two countries.
In the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020 the army liberated the occupied lands by combining drones, artillery and special-forces mountain operations — a war now studied worldwide as an example of modern warfare.
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Updated: October 1, 2026