In the origins of the army: Part I
THE ARMY DURING THE FIRST REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
One of the most powerful pillars of the establishment of independent Armenian statehood, the First Republic of Armenia, was the creation of its own national army. Therefore, the separate Armenian army corps formed in late 1917 – early 1918 were radically restructured. In September 1918, it was disbanded and formed into a division under the command of General Movses Silikyan. The total number of soldiers in the division reached sixteen thousand. On April 25, 1919, a military council was established under the leadership of General Tovmas Nazarbekyan, who also assumed command of the army. General Hovhannes Hakhverdyan was the military minister of the Republic.
Volunteer detachments of haiduks (freedom fighters) were disbanded on the territory of the RA. In 1919, the Armenian army was restructured into brigades and regiments, units more suitable for army management. Already in January 1920, the number of the army of the Republic reached 25,000, and in the fall, during the Turkish-Armenian war, about 40,000, including 33 generals and more than 2,000 officers.
