Editing Azerbaijani Armed Forces (section)

== Personnel ==
=== Educational system ===
[[File:Ilham Aliyev attended the parade 11.jpg|thumb|The Cadets of the [[Corps of Drums]] of the [[Jamshid Nakhchivanski Military Lyceum]]]]
[[File:Military Parade.jpg|thumb|Azerbaijani higher military cadets]]
The purpose of Azerbaijani military education and training is to train soldiers, officers, and non-commissioned officers to have independent and creative thinking and commitment to the Azerbaijani people and the government. Military education in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have been described as either being secondary education, further education, or higher education.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://mod.gov.az/en/the-military-education-system-of-azerbaijan-armed-forces-326/ |title=Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan |access-date=11 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143255/https://mod.gov.az/en/the-military-education-system-of-azerbaijan-armed-forces-326/ |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Azerbaijani pilots were formerly trained in the Azerbaijan Air Force School, where they would then develop their skills in operational units. Azerbaijan has an experience exchange with Turkey, Ukraine, the United States and a number of NATO countries. The [[Turkish Air Force Academy|Turkish Air Force School]] has a great role in the training of Azerbaijani military pilots. Azerbaijani pilots are also trained in Ukraine's Pilot Training School.<ref>[http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=97127 Azerbaijan’s military aviation opportunities] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319233114/http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=97127 |date=19 March 2012 }}</ref>

The following is a list of educational institutions in the armed forces, under the auspices of the [[National Defense University (Azerbaijan)|National Defense University]]:
* Military academies
** [[War College of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces|War College of the Armed Forces]]
** [[Training and Education Center of the Armed Forces]]
** [[Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy]]
*** [[Azerbaijan Higher Naval Academy]] (former independent institution)
*** [[Azerbaijan High Military Aviation School]] (former independent institution)
* Other educational institutions
** Secondary Military Medical School of Azerbaijan
** Military Medical Faculty of [[Azerbaijan Medical University]]
* Military lyceums
** [[Jamshid Nakhchivanski Military Lyceum]]
** [[Heydar Aliyev Military Lyceum]]

=== Conscription ===
{{Main|State Service for Mobilization and Conscription of Azerbaijan}}

=== Military Justice ===
{{See also|Judiciary of Azerbaijan}}
Military Courts act as courts of first instance deals. The Military Court is composed of a President and judges. The following military courts exist in Azerbaijan:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Суды - ЕДИНЫЙ СУДЕБНЫЙ ПОРТАЛ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНСКОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ|url=https://courts.gov.az/ru/courts/Voennye-sudy_4|access-date=3 April 2021|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412115650/https://courts.gov.az/ru/courts/Voennye-sudy_4|url-status=dead}}</ref>

* Military Court of [[Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic]]
* Baku Military Court (formed in August 1992)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Məhkəmə haqqında - Bakı Hərbi Məhkəməsi|url=https://courts.gov.az/az/bakumilitary|access-date=3 April 2021|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412121640/https://courts.gov.az/az/bakumilitary|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Ganja Military Court
* Lankaran Military Court
* Fuzuli-Gubadli Military Court
* Tartar Military Court
* Agdam Military Court
* Gazakh Military Court
* Sumgait Military Court

=== Women and ethnic minorities in the armed forces ===
During the first war, Russians, who were a [[Russians in Azerbaijan|large minority in Azerbaijan at the time]], served in the units of the Azerbaijani Army, many of whom formerly served in the Soviet Army.  According to the [[Russian Ministry of Defence]] more than 300 officers of the 7th Army, based in the capital of Baku, refused to leave Azerbaijan at the outset of the war.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ельцин Центр|url=https://www.yeltsin.ru/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Ельцин Центр|language=ru|archive-date=11 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611072252/https://yeltsin.ru/|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the Second Karabakh War, the death of an ethnic [[Russians|Russian]] Azerbaijani soldier, Dmitry Solntsev, was reported.<ref>[https://menafn.com/1101014940/Ethnic-Russian-soldier-dies-in-battle-to-liberate-Azerbaijani-lands-from-Armenian-occupation Ethnic Russian soldier dies in the battle to liberate Azerbaijani lands from Armenian occupation]</ref> There was also Denis Aliyev (born as Denis Pronin) from the [[Xətai raion]], who was killed in [[Jabrayil]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ordu.az/az/news/175206/gence-terroru-rusiya-metbuatinda--vandalizme-son-qoymagin-vaxti-catib-|title = Gəncə terroru Rusiya mətbuatında: "Vandalizmə son qoymağın vaxtı çatıb"}}</ref> He was later posthumously awarded the [[For the Liberation of Jabrayil Medal|Medal "For the Liberation of Jabrayil"]] in December.<ref name=":CM">{{cite news|title=Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələrinin hərbi qulluqçularının "Cəbrayılın azad olunmasına görə" medalı ilə təltif edilməsi haqqında Azərbaycan Prezidentinin 24.12.2020-ci il tarixli Sərəncamı|author=Azərbaycan Prezidentinin saytı|newspaper=www.president.az|date=24 December 2020|url=https://president.az/articles/49462|access-date=24 December 2020|language=az|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210119094156/https://president.az/articles/49462|archive-date=19 January 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Cossacks, associated with the Association of Cossacks of Azerbaijan, often join the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Казаки Азербайджана: Мы с нетерпением ждем отправки на фронт, чтобы присоединиться к нашим азербайджанским солдатам {{!}} Общественная жизнь|url=https://moscow-baku.ru/news/society/rukovoditel_molodezhi_zemlyachestva_kazakov_azerbaydzhana_ruslan_sleptsov_my_s_neterpeniem_zhdem_otp/|access-date=2021-05-18|website=moscow-baku.ru}}</ref>

Female military personnel in the military are generally involved in education, office work, medical care, and the development of international cooperation. They also serve in the rear, signal troops, and intelligence forces. Women are exempt from conscription, which means that female service is purely on a voluntary basis. There are currently 1,000 female personnel in the Azerbaijani military, accounting for 3% of the armed forces.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-08-12|title=Женщины в Азербайджанской Армии – ФОТО|url=https://ru.oxu.az/society/37328|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Oxu.Az|language=ru}}</ref> During the Karabakh Conflict, 2,000 of the 74,000 Azerbaijani soldiers were women, and 600 of them directly took part in military operations, with a women's battalion being established in 1992.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Azərbaycan ordusu və zərif əsgərlər...|url=https://modern.az/az/news/15043/azerbaycan-ordusu-ve-zerif-esgerler|access-date=2021-03-30|website=modern.az}}</ref> The enrollment of females in Azerbaijani higher military schools began in 1999.<ref name=":0" /> According to soldier Tehrana Bahruzi in her book, “Zakir Hasanov: the Ideal Minister", Defence Minister [[Zakir Hasanov]] was responsible for launching the first female unit in the [[Special Forces of Azerbaijan]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Azerbaijan's Model Soldier: Pinup, Writer and Fighter {{!}} Eurasianet|url=https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijans-model-soldier-pinup-writer-and-fighter|access-date=2021-03-12|website=eurasianet.org|language=en}}</ref> In October 2020, the first female military casualty was reported, a combat medic who died while taking wounded soldiers from the battlefield.<ref>{{cite web|date=27 October 2020|title=2-ci Qarabağ müharibəsinin ilk qadın şəhidi|url=https://www.bakupost.az/2-ci-qarabag-muharibesinin-ilk-qadin-sehidi-foto|access-date=27 October 2020|publisher=Baku Post|language=az|archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031132841/https://www.bakupost.az/2-ci-qarabag-muharibesinin-ilk-qadin-sehidi-foto|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Personnel medals and awards===
* Medal "For Bravery"
* Medal "For Fatherland"
* Medal [["For Faultless Service" medal|"For Faultless Service"]]
* Medal "For blameless service"
* Medal "For distinction in military service"
* Medal "For distinction in the border"
* Medal "For merit in military collaboration"
* Medal "For military merit"
* Veteran of the Armed Forces Medal
*[[Brave Warrior Medal]]
* [[For Distinction in Battle Medal]]
* [[For Heroism Medal]]
*[[For military services medal]]
*[[Herbi Xidmlete Gore Medal]]
*Anniversary medals
**[["10th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan (1991–2001)" Medal]]
** [["90th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan (1918–2008)" Medal]]
** [["95th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan (1918–2013)" Medal]]
**[[Azerbaijani Army 100th anniversary medal]]
* Battle/war awards
**[[Hero of the Patriotic War]]
** [[Hero of the Patriotic War Medal]]
** [[Participant of the Patriotic War Medal]]
**[[For Services in the Rear in the Patriotic War Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Aghdam Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Fuzuli Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Gubadly Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Jabrayil Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Kalbajar Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Khojavend Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Lachin Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Shusha Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Sugovushan Medal]]
** [[For the Liberation of Zangilan Medal]]
Today '[[National Hero of Azerbaijan]]' is the highest national title in the country, awarded for outstanding services of national importance to Azerbaijan in defense, as well as other deeds in other spheres.