Editing Azerbaijani Armed Forces (section)

==Overview==
Since the fall of the [[Soviet Union]], Azerbaijan has been trying to further develop its armed forces into a professional, well trained, and mobile military. Azerbaijan has been undergoing extensive modernization and capacity expansion programs, with the military budget increasing from around $300&nbsp;million in 2005 to $2.46&nbsp;billion in 2009.<ref name="reuters.com">{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL1597375 | work=Reuters | title=Azerbaijan announces 53 pct rise in army spending | date=15 April 2008 | access-date=30 June 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726120651/http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL1597375 | archive-date=26 July 2009 | url-status=live}}</ref> The total armed forces number 56,840 personnel in the land forces, 7,900 personnel in the air force and air defence force, and 2,200 personnel in the navy.<ref name="IISS 2015" /> There are also 19,500 personnel in the National Guard, State Border Service, and Internal Troops.<ref name=Blandy12>C. W. Blandy [http://www.da.mod.uk/colleges/arag/document-listings/caucasus/08(17)CWB.pdf Azerbaijan: Is War Over Nagornyy Karabakh a Realistic Option? Advanced Research and Assessment Group. Caucasus Series 08/17. — Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, 2008, p.12] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510000120/http://www.da.mod.uk/colleges/arag/document-listings/caucasus/08(17)CWB.pdf |date=10 May 2011 }}</ref> In addition, there are 300,000 former service personnel who have had military service in the last 15 years.<ref name=IISS157>{{cite book |title=The Military Balance 2007 |last=[[IISS]] |year=2007 |publisher=Routledge for the IISS |location=London|isbn=978-1-85743-437-8 |page=157}}</ref> The military hardware of Azerbaijan consists of 220 main battle tanks, an additional 162 T-80 battle tanks were acquired between 2005 and 2010,<ref>{{cite web|author=Apa.az |title=Azerbaijan is second big purchaser of tanks from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in 2005–2010 |url=http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=160316 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407091017/http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=160316 |archive-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> 595 armored combat vehicles and 270 artillery systems. The air force has about 106 aircraft and 35 helicopters.<ref name=IISS158>{{cite book |title=The Military Balance 2007 |last=[[IISS]] |year=2007 |publisher=Routledge for the IISS |location=London|isbn=978-1-85743-437-8 |page=158}} The IISS list 37 fighter aircraft, 15 fighter-ground attack aircraft, four transport aircraft, 50 training aircraft (including five combat capable trainers), 15 attack helicopters, and 20 transport helicopters</ref>

Azerbaijan has acceded to the [[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]] as a non-[[List of countries with nuclear weapons|nuclear weapons state]]. Azerbaijan participates in [[NATO]]'s [[Partnership for Peace]]. Azerbaijan joined the [[Multi-National Force – Iraq|multi-national force]] in 2003. It sent 150 troops to Iraq, and later troops to Kosovo. Azerbaijani troops have also served in Afghanistan.

Despite the rise in Azerbaijan's defence budget,<ref>Blandy, 'Azerbaijan: Is War Over Nagornyy Karabakh a Realistic Option?, 2008, p.6, quoting http://nvo.ng.ru/wars/2007-02-09/2_poroh.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203063219/http://nvo.ng.ru/wars/2007-02-09/2_poroh.html |date=3 February 2012 }} Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye 9 February 2007.</ref> the armed forces were assessed in 2008 as not having a high state of battle readiness and being ill-prepared for wide scale combat operations.<ref name="Blandy, 2008, p.7">Blandy, 2008, p.7</ref> Azeri victory in the [[Second Karabakh War]] in late 2020 demonstrated how significantly Azerbaijan's military capabilities had grown.