February 27, 2008

U.S. provides radio equipment to Armenian Peacekeeping Battalion

Armenia´s Peacekeeping Battalion recently received over $3,000,000 worth of communication equipment through the United States´ Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) located in the U.S. Embassy. The radios, antennas, various supporting equipment, and training, all purchased from the Harris Radio Corporation, further ensure the ability of the Armenian battalion to jointly operate with coalition and peacekeeping forces worldwide, and specifically in Kosovo and Iraq where Armenian contingents now operate.

The communications equipment is part of a larger U.S. assistance plan to support Armenia´s NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) goal, which stipulates Armenia´s objective to develop a peacekeeping battalion. In support of that objective, the U.S. has allocated over $6,000,000 of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funds since 2006 to fully equip the Armenian Peacekeeping Battalion with uniforms, field equipment, medical equipment, chemical detection and protection equipment, and training.

Additional U.S. funding has been directed to support the expansion of this peacekeeping battalion to a brigade size unit as is also stipulated in Armenia´s IPAP with NATO. The ODC is working with the Armenian Ministry of Defense in 2008 to provide a limited number of transport trucks, uniforms, field equipment and additional communications equipment to support the development of the Armenian Peacekeeping Brigade

The U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation in Armenia works to foster U.S. government and industry assistance to Armenia in the defense sphere. The office operates under the authority of the U.S. Chief of Mission in Armenia and the U.S. European Command, located in Stuttgart, Germany.