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Defense expenditures in 2025 increased by $1.1 billion compared to 2018, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan told lawmakers on Thursday.
“In 2018, defense expenditures amounted to 245 billion drams, or $640 million. In 2025, defense expenditures reached 667 billion drams, or $1 billion 741 million 604 thousand. In other words, spending in the defense sector has increased by $1.1 billion. The expenditures made and planned for 2023, 2024, 2025, and already 2026 are unprecedented. It is thanks to this that we have been able to implement reforms such as, for example, the servicemen certification program. Today, as a result of certification, a serviceman can receive an additional salary of 205,000–470,000 drams. This is a significant improvement,” the minister said during debates on the 2026 state budget bill.
About 65% of servicemen have participated in the certification program, he added.
The Armenian government’s planned defense spending for 2026 is around $1.48 billion, down from $1.74 billion in 2025.