BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 3. Back in March 2025, an Armenian military delegation touched down in India for a high-level visit that wasn’t just another photo-op. The talks weren’t held in some plush New Delhi hotel ballroom — they went straight to the top brass of India’s elite High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Gulmarg, nestled deep in the Himalayas, and also met with the badass “Shatrujeet” special ops brigade. That’s not your average meet-and-greet — that’s boots-on-the-ground, no-nonsense war talk. And make no mistake: the South Caucasus security crowd has been buzzing ever since.
This wasn’t a one-off handshake deal. What we’re seeing is the early scaffolding of a full-fledged strategic alignment between Armenia and India. Armenia’s licking its wounds after battlefield beatdowns in 2020 and 2022, and it’s looking to rewire its entire defense playbook. Meanwhile, India’s eyeing the Caucasus as the next frontier in its power projection — a chance to punch above its regional weight and rub elbows in NATO’s neighborhood.
When Armenian special forces start running drills at HAWS, this isn’t just military optics — it’s a geopolitical tell. It signals a new doctrine coming out of Yerevan: think smaller, strike smarter, and lean on asymmetric warfare. And that’s not just theory — it’s a threat Azerbaijan can’t afford to ignore.
So, what’s really cooking in this India-Armenia axis? Can it actually bend the military balance in the South Caucasus? Let’s break it down, from Armenia’s shift in military mindset to India’s regional calculus — and what it all means for Baku.
India’s Endgame & Armenia’s Desperation Play
New Delhi’s play here is three-dimensional chess. The South Caucasus might be a world away from the Ganges, but for India, it checks all the right boxes:
Geo-economics: India needs trade routes that skip China and bypass Pakistan altogether. That’s where Armenia steps in — pitching itself as a key link in an alternate leg of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC). If it works, it could give India a straight shot to Europe that doesn’t touch Chinese steel or Pakistani soil.
Counterbalancing the Baku–Ankara–Islamabad axis: Let’s be real — Pakistan’s been riding shotgun with Azerbaijan for years. They don’t even recognize Armenia. And with Turkey backing Baku with both guns and rhetoric, India’s not just watching — it’s responding. Building up Armenia gives New Delhi a counterpunch to Islamabad’s Caucasus ambitions.
Selling weapons, building clout: India’s got a growing defense industry and needs serious buyers. Armenia’s all in — snapping up Pinaka rocket systems, loitering munitions, radar gear, and ATGMs. It’s not just a cash deal; it’s a diplomatic signal: India wants to be seen as a global arms supplier, not just a regional heavyweight. And playing in NATO’s backyard? That’s gold.
Armenia: hedging its future, ditching Moscow, shopping for a new bodyguard
Post-2022, Yerevan’s had it with Moscow. The Kremlin sat on its hands while Armenia took hits. The CSTO looked more like a toothless club than a security pact. So what does Armenia do? It flips the script:
- Doubles down on military ties with France and India
- Loads up on Indian weapons systems
- Sends its troops for elite training abroad
India, for Armenia, is the sweet spot — no alliance strings attached, no post-Soviet baggage, just cutting-edge weapons and open training programs. Yerevan’s betting big on “precision upgrades” — boosting its special ops to level the field, even if the rest of its army lags behind Azerbaijan in size and tech.
Special Forces & Mountain Warfare: Armenia’s New Playbook
Why go all in on Special Ops?
After getting smoked in the Second Karabakh War and losing face in Syunik skirmishes in 2022, Armenian brass finally owned up:
- Their troops were slow, their tactics old-school
- They weren’t ready for fluid, mobile mountain warfare
- They lacked flexible, self-sufficient strike teams
So here’s the fix: elite, agile, and lethal. Armenia wants:
- Rapid-response units that can operate without backup
- Special teams trained for sabotage, recon, artillery spotting, and deep-infiltration ops
- Psychological warfare assets to throw their opponents off balance and sow chaos
Mountain forces are now mission-critical. Think Karabakh, Syunik, Gegharkunik, Lori — all high-altitude zones where boots need lungs, grit, and glacier training. That’s why HAWS in Gulmarg isn’t just a training school — it’s a laboratory for Armenia’s next-gen warfighters.
The Bottom Line
India’s arming Armenia isn’t about friendship bracelets — it’s a hard-nosed strategy. For New Delhi, it’s about putting boots on new geopolitical turf and tweaking regional balances without firing a shot. For Yerevan, it’s about clawing back dignity and building a military that punches above its weight.
But for Azerbaijan? It’s a warning shot. A signal that the post-2020 status quo is being challenged — not by Moscow, not by Washington, but by a rising South Asian giant with something to prove.
And if you're watching the Caucasus and not factoring in India? You’re playing last season’s game.
HAWS School: India’s Mountain Warfare Blueprint and What It Means for Armenia
India’s High Altitude Warfare School — better known as HAWS — isn’t just another military academy. It’s one of the world’s premier training centers for troops gearing up to fight in hellish conditions between 10,000 and 20,000 feet above sea level. We’re talking combat in thin air, freezing temps, vertical terrain — the kind of environment that chews up soldiers and spits out corpses.
Here’s what HAWS throws at its trainees:
- Full acclimatization up to 16,500 feet
- Combat drills on rocky slopes and snow-covered ridgelines
- Hardcore survival skills and night ops training
- Mountaineering and ropework that would make an alpine guide sweat
- Anti-ambush tactics, stealth, camo, and radio silence drills
And HAWS isn’t working in a bubble — they’ve teamed up with British, French, and U.S. instructors, building a cross-cultural training hub that’s as NATO-ready as it gets.
Now, some Armenian troops have begun passing through this brutal gauntlet, hoping to come out leaner, meaner, and more mission-ready. But here’s the kicker — unless those guys get fully integrated into a coherent military system back home, they’ll end up as elite misfits with no real place to operate.
Armenia vs. Azerbaijan: The Mountain Warfare Scorecard
Since the 2020 war, Baku hasn’t just rested on its battlefield wins — it’s gone full throttle into modernization mode. Here’s how they’re stacking the deck:
- Permanent, fully equipped mountain bases in Karabakh, locked and loaded year-round
- Tight integration of drones, artillery, and missile systems with AI-enhanced targeting and real-time intel
- Combat-tested Azerbaijani special forces, trained alongside Turkish and Pakistani counterparts
- Upgraded logistics and comms networks, even in terrain that looks like the moon
- Agile, modular assault units that eat elevation changes for breakfast
And let’s not forget the war games — Azerbaijan’s mountain training resume is stacked:
- "Sarsılmaz Qardaşlıq" (2021): Simulated high-altitude assault ops
- "Mustafa Kemal Atatürk 2023": Deep strike missions above 10,000 feet
- Elite commando cross-training with Turkey’s mountain warfare units in Tunceli
Bottom line: Azerbaijan’s army isn’t just playing catch-up — they’ve got the infrastructure, tech, and battle-hardened muscle to stay king of the mountains.
Armenia: Patchwork prep with no master plan
Now let’s talk about Yerevan — a whole different story. The Armenian military is still trying to shake off:
- Chronic manpower shortages and low troop morale
- No unified training or rotation system to speak of
- Outdated gear, especially when it comes to NVGs, radios, and fire control
- Painfully slow logistics in remote mountain zones
- A broken reserve and mobilization framework
So, sure — a few commandos heading off to HAWS might learn how to rappel down a glacier in the dead of night. But back home, they’re a one-off asset, not part of a well-oiled war machine.
And let’s not kid ourselves — without air cover, ISR support, and top-shelf logistics, even the best-trained special ops units turn into sitting ducks. Azerbaijan holds that advantage across the board.
Will HAWS Move the Needle for Armenia?
Short-Term Tactical Gains
Let’s be fair. Armenia’s HAWS trainees will come back tougher, sharper, and better prepped for:
- Survival and ambush tactics at high altitude
- Micro-scale operations in rugged terrain
- Diversionary raids and hit-and-run moves in zones like Syunik
That might give Yerevan some teeth in limited engagements, especially along tricky border areas. But...
Strategic Reality Check
There are some hard ceilings Armenia can’t break — no matter how good the training is:
Limited resources: No homegrown pipeline to mass-produce HAWS-level troops. No infrastructure to support them in-country.
Small numbers: At best, 100 to 150 trainees a year. Not nearly enough for a full-fledged special ops corps.
Limited application: Mountain raids don’t win modern wars. Wars in the South Caucasus are decided by firepower — artillery, air defense, drones, and fast-moving brigades.
External dependency: No defense industry, no strategic depth. Armenia’s still at the mercy of foreign suppliers and external training. Block those pipelines, and the whole system buckles.
The Bottom Line
Even if Armenian troops ace every module at HAWS, what we’re talking about is a band-aid on a bullet wound — not a game-changer. It’s a patch of elite capability with no foundation to stand on. Tactical upgrades, yes. Strategic shift? Not a chance.
Until Armenia builds out a real military ecosystem to support these troops — with logistics, intel, comms, and doctrine to match — its “HAWS effect” will be more headline than hard power.
Baku’s Take and How Azerbaijan Can Strike Back
As Armenia steps up its game with India’s mountain warfare elite, Azerbaijan isn’t sitting this one out. Yerevan’s flirtation with HAWS may grab headlines, but for Baku, it’s not the time for alarm bells — it’s time for cold, calculated countermeasures.
Let’s cut to the chase: there are legitimate threats Azerbaijan needs to keep an eye on, but there’s also a clear roadmap for neutralizing them — with brains, muscle, and strategy.
The Real Risks for Baku
Here’s what’s potentially on the table:
- Armenian special ops teams trained to slip through border zones, strike from behind, and vanish into the mountains
- Indian-style ambush tactics, covert infiltration, and sabotage ops targeting Azerbaijani supply lines or infrastructure
- A growing anti-Baku triad — Yerevan, Paris, and New Delhi — each pulling their weight to help Armenia retool, rearm, and retrain
It’s not just about bullets. It’s about building an ecosystem of support aimed at giving Armenia an edge it couldn’t get from Moscow.
Baku’s Counterplay: Tools Are in Place, Strategy Needs Sharpening
Azerbaijan’s not starting from scratch — the toolbox is well-stocked. But to stay two steps ahead, it’s time to fine-tune the playbook:
Eyes Everywhere
Step up border surveillance. That means full-spectrum technical
recon — drones, satellites, SIGINT — to catch SSO teams before they
move. Early detection is everything in counterinsurgency.
Train to Counter What’s Coming
Get ahead of the ambush playbook. Azerbaijan should double down on
joint drills with Turkey and Pakistan, focusing on high-altitude
counter-infiltration tactics and anti-sabotage operations.
Turn Up the Diplomatic Heat
Engage India through bilateral channels — and make it clear that
militarizing the Caucasus is a red line. Don’t shout — explain.
Quiet diplomacy can do more damage than a press conference.
Mirror the Threat
Ramp up Azerbaijan’s own SSO training. Take cues from Turkish
commando doctrine, pull in Pakistani expertise, and seriously
consider building a national mountain warfare training hub — a
“Caucasus HAWS,” if you will.
Own the Narrative
In the media war, Baku needs to go on offense. Frame Armenia’s new
military moves as reckless escalation. Make the case
internationally that Azerbaijan is playing defense — rational,
stable, responsible.
Strategic Recommendations — Azerbaijan’s Smart Moves
Let’s get specific about how Baku can flip the script:
Don’t Panic Over HAWS
It’s elite training, sure — but it won’t transform a fragmented
force into a world-class army. Monitor Armenian SSO deployments
carefully, especially in high-risk zones like Syunik.
Double Down on Your Own Special Ops Game
Expand Azerbaijan’s SSO capabilities, with an eye toward
terrain-specific warfare. Tap into Turkish and Pakistani training
pipelines. Push forward the “Caucasus Training Center” concept —
not just for optics, but for readiness.
Work the Diplomatic Angles
Leverage the Non-Aligned Movement and OIC platforms to raise flags
about India’s role. Highlight the destabilizing potential of a
regional arms race disguised as training.
Counter the Yerevan–Paris–New Delhi Triangle
Bolster the Baku–Ankara–Islamabad axis — not just as military
coordination, but as a regional security alliance. Shared doctrine,
joint drills, and intelligence fusion should be the baseline.
Invest Where It Hurts Them Most
Azerbaijan’s defense industry needs to stay laser-focused on tech
that neutralizes enemy SSO units — think thermal and night-vision
gear, counter-drone systems, signal jammers, and precision strike
capabilities.
It’s a New Phase, Not a New Threat
The Armenian military’s engagement with HAWS is symbolic. It signals that Yerevan is trying to reinvent its playbook — to win where it can’t match Azerbaijan on conventional terms.
But symbols don’t win wars.
Without deep structural reform, a real mobilization framework, and an overhauled logistics chain, Armenia’s elite training missions remain what they are: tactical makeup masking strategic flaws.
Azerbaijan, by contrast, holds all the key cards — a battle-proven army, a rock-solid alliance with Turkey and Pakistan, and a technological edge that Armenia can’t buy overnight. So long as Baku maintains political resolve, invests in defense innovation, and keeps its diplomatic engines running, any Armenian attempt at “targeted enhancement” will remain exactly that — limited, local, and containable.
The mountains may be unforgiving, but in this region, it’s still the lowland strategists who decide how wars are won.