Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Praporshchik is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to Michman in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or sergeant major in English-speaking armies. Within NATO forces, the rank is rated as OR-7 or OR-8.
The Azerbaijani Land Forces are the land force component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been trying to create professional, well trained, and mobile armed forces. Based on 2013 statistics, the country has about 85,000 ground force troops, with additional paramilitary forces of 15,000. In addition, there are 300,000 former service personnel who have had military service in the last fifteen years.
The Azerbaijan Navy is the naval component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces operating in the Caspian Sea.
Colonel General Safar Akhundbala oghlu Abiyev was the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan from 1995 to 2013. He was considered one of the longest serving defense ministers in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan or MN is an Azerbaijani government agency that is associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan, and the surveillance of the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea sea and airspace. The Minister of Defense is appointed and removed from the post by the Commander-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the President of Azerbaijan.
Najmeddin Huseyn oghlu Sadikov is an Azerbaijani Colonel General who served as the Chief of the General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan. He was appointed to both positions on 2 November 1993 by President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. On 28 January 2021 it was announced that he is no longer serving as the chief of staff, and Karim Valiyev took his position on 23 July of that year.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan Republic is the military staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and oversees operational management of the armed forces under the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic. The Chief of the General Staff is appointed by the President of Azerbaijan, who is the supreme commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Michman is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to praporshchik in armies and air forces. Within NATO forces, the rank is rated as OR-8 and is equivalent to Warrant officer class 2 or Senior chief petty officer in English speaking navies.
Starshy michman is a rank used by the Russian and the Azerbaijani Navy. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to Starshy praporshchik in armies and air forces.
Captain 1st rank is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of former communist states. The rank is the most senior rank in the staff officers' career group. The rank is equivalent to colonel in armies and air forces. Within NATO forces, the rank is rated as OF-5 and is equivalent to captain in English-speaking navies.
The Military ranks of Azerbaijan are the military insignia used by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Being a former member of Soviet Union, Azerbaijan shares a rank structure similar to that of Russia; however, the insignia used for its ranks had been increasingly being influenced by Turkey.
The State Service for Mobilization and Conscription of Azerbaijan was created on February 13, 2012 by decree of Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. On implementation of the law on “Military job and military service”, the Military Commissariat of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Military Commissariat of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and the military commissariats of regions and cities subordinated to Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan were abolished, and the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription of Azerbaijan was established.
The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the official military band service of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. It is part of the command structure of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.
Hikmat Huseyn oglu Hasanov is an Azerbaijani major general, who is the commander of the 1st Army Corps. He is a laureate of the 3rd degree "For Service to the Fatherland" order.
Hikmat Izzat oghlu Mirzayev is an Azerbaijani military officer who serves as Deputy Minister of Defense and commander of the Azerbaijani Land Forces since 2024. He is a lieutenant general of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the former commander of the Special Forces from 2014 to 2024, and participated in the 2016 Nagorno–Karabakh clashes and the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, during which he led Azerbaijani forces in the 2020 battle of Shusha. He received the title of the Hero of the Patriotic War.
The Nakhchivan Branch of the Military Lyceum named after Jamshid Nakhchivanski, also known as the Heydar Aliyev Military Lyceum is a state school, specializing in military science located in the city of Nakhchivan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Major General Mahammad Hasanov is the current head of the lyceum. Close to 400 cadets currently study in the lyceum branch.
Heydar Kamal oglu Piriyev is an Azerbaijani military officer and lieutenant general of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. He is a veteran of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. He is the current Chief of the War College of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces
Karim Tofig oghlu Valiyev is an Azerbaijani military officer, serving as the colonel general in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. He is the Chief of the General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the First Deputy Minister of Defence of Azerbaijan. He had served as the head of the Main Department for Personnel of the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan on 23 July 2021. Valiyev had taken part in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Captain 3rd rank is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of former communist states. The rank is the lowest rank in the staff officer's career group. The rank is equivalent to major in armies and air forces. Within NATO forces, the rank is rated as OF-3 and is equivalent to lieutenant commander in English speaking navies.
