Armenia must rethink air defense to meet future threats, Israeli expert says

Panorama

Armenia needs to develop a new national security concept capable of addressing emerging threats, according to Zvika Haimovich, former Israel Air Defense Forces Commander.

In an interview with Armenia TV on Friday, Haimovich described Armenia’s air defense capabilities as a “matter of life and death”, stressing that lessons from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war must not be ignored.

He pointed to the vulnerability of Armenia’s airspace during the 44-day conflict, particularly to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which caused significant damage.

“The fact that the skies were not secured and that new threats, especially from drones, inflicted serious harm is undeniable,” he said. “Such risks cannot be overlooked. If you possess the knowledge, it must be used in service of the state and its interests.”

Haimovich argued that a more effectively structured defense system could have led to a different outcome in the war, which he described as “very dramatic”.

Now serving as a security adviser to the Strong Armenia party, he said his role is to help shape a modern strategic framework for the country.

“We are working to build a new concept and models that can withstand future challenges and threats,” he said. “Strength and peace are interconnected. Only a strong country can achieve peace.”