The exercise, to be held until August 20, focuses on “the preparation and execution of peacekeeping missions, with an emphasis on medical evacuation procedures.”
“Eagle Partner 2025” brings together servicemen from Armenia’s peacekeeping brigade, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, and the Kansas National Guard. It officially began with a ceremony at Yerevan’s Vazgen Sargsian Military Academy, attended by U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien.
“The primary objectives of the exercise are to enhance the interoperability of units participating in international peacekeeping missions, exchange best practices in control and tactical communication, improve the readiness of the peacekeeping unit of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia,” Armenia’s Ministry of Defense said.
Armenia’s joint drills with the United States have drawn criticism from Russia in previous years.
Although Yerevan has effectively suspended its participation in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, signaling a shift in its security alignment, Moscow has repeatedly stated that it continues to view Armenia as a military ally.
The current joint drills of the Armenian and U.S. troops come just days after Armenia initialed a peace agreement with Azerbaijan aimed at ending more than three decades of conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and along the two countries’ borders.
During the August 8 meeting in Washington, Armenia also pledged to grant the United States exclusive rights to a transit route through its territory, which Azerbaijan has demanded as a connection to its Nakhichevan exclave.
Russia as well as Iran have expressed concern over the U.S. role in the proposed connectivity project dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) in honor of the U.S. leader who has taken credit for brokering the deal.