The Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev is a special higher educational institution subordinated to the National Defense University, which is under the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, carrying out programs of secondary special education, higher and additional education, as well as implementing applied scientific research. The Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev is the legal successor of the Military Academy named after Heydar Aliyev.
The history of the Azerbaijan Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev begins with the fact that on February 6, 1918, the commander of the Muslim Corps, Lieutenant General Aliagha Shikhlinski, sent a letter to the Transcaucasian Commissariat, which became the legitimate government agency in the South Caucasus after the Bolshevik Revolution, and request permission to establish a National Military School.
With the consent of the Transcaucasian Commissariat, on March 1, 1918, the opening of the National Military School in Tbilisi city was announced, and Lieutenant Jahangir bey Zeynalbey oglu Nasirbeyov was appointed the Chief of the National Military School. On the same day, the school's chancellery began its activities and the admission of cadets was immediately announced.
On April 2, 1918, by order of Corps Commander Aliagha Shikhlinski, the National Military School's permanent staff and chancellery were moved from Tbilisi to Ganja, and on April 8, the school resumed its activities, relocating to Ganja Art School.
With the beginning of the Bolshevik-Dashnak troops’ offensive on Ganja in April 1918, the military situation in Azerbaijan escalated, thereby the activities of the National Military School were temporarily suspended. Immediately after the proclamation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, in late May-early June 1918, the activities of the school were resumed. On October 27, 1918, the first graduation of the National Military School took place. By the order of the Minister of Defense of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic dated December 1, 1918, the National Military School located in Ganja was renamed the Warrant Officer School and presented its graduates with the first officer rank. On October 31, 1919, by order of the Minister of Defense Samad bey Mehmandarov, the Warrant Officer School was again renamed a Military School. After the fall of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the Military School was renamed the Azerbaijan United Military School on May 25, 1920. In 1923 Aliagha Shikhlinski, and in 1924 Samad bey Mehmandarov were involved in the school’s teaching. In November 1930, the Transcaucasian Military Preparatory School was reorganized and renamed the Baku Infantry School named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze, and began to train officers for the Red Army with a training period of 3 years. In 1933, the Baku Infantry School was transferred to buildings intended for it in the Salyan barracks (currently, a training and educational center is located in these buildings). In 1942, when the military environment in the Caucasus direction became more escalated, most of the Baku Military Infantry School's personnel was sent to the front, but the majority of the permanent personnel and the material and technical base of the school remained in Baku. Only two months later, some of the cadets of the Grozny Military Infantry School, whose activities were suspended, were enrolled in this school, the cadet personnel was staffed once again, the school resumed its activities, and after a two-month course, the end of 1942, about 80 cadets who arrived from Grozny were sent to the front with the rank of officer. In March 1954, this military school was renamed the Baku Military School. In 1958, in order to improve the educational process, the school was reorganized and it was renamed the Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School. In 1966, Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School was given the honorific of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR. In May 1992, the Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School was given to the subordination of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The school was renamed the Baku High Joint Commanders School due to the need to staff the Armed Forces of the newly formed independent republic and other types of troops with officers of various higher military qualifications. Here, from 1992-1997, the educational process for officer training was carried out on the basis of the military educational system of the former Soviet Union. In accordance with the protocol signed between the Republic of Türkiye and the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1996, with the assistance of officers of the Turkish Armed Forces, relevant work was done at the school to transition to a modern educational system. In this regard, since 1997, new cadet battalions were created annually at the former Baku Higher Naval School, and the work on the formation of 4 cadet battalions was completed in 2000. In August 2001, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the military schools were renamed the Azerbaijan Military Academy, the Azerbaijan Higher Military Aviation School, and the Azerbaijan Higher Naval School. According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated March 10, 2004, the school is named after the national leader of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated December 24, 2015, the Azerbaijan Higher Military Aviation School and the Azerbaijan Higher Naval School were abolished, and the faculties of the Land Forces, Air Force, Air Defense, and Naval Forces were merged into the Azerbaijan Military Academy named after Heydar Aliyev. In order to improve the activities of the network of special educational institutions, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, dated March 5, 2022, No. 1626, the Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev was established on the basis of the Military Academy named after Heydar Aliyev and given to the subordination of the National Defense University.
Cadets and graduates of the educational institution took an active part in defending the integrity and sovereignty of independent Azerbaijan in the Second Karabakh War. In December 1992, a battalion, consisting of the first-year personnel of the combined arms faculty, was formed and sent to fulfill a combat task in the Aghdam region. The battalion, consisting of young cadets, demonstrated patriotism and courage by accomplishing the combat task without suffering any losses. In February 1993, a company, consisting of 72 servicemen from the combined arms faculty's second year, was formed and sent to the Aghdam region to fulfill a combat task. 8 servicemen became Shehid and 5 went missing during the operations. 20 graduates of the academy, who bravely suppressed the Armenian aggression during the April battles in 2016, ascended to the heights of Martyrdom. Cadets of the 4th year, officers and warrant officers of the Azerbaijan Military Academy named after Heydar Aliyev participated in the Second Karabakh War, which began on September 27, 2020. Since September 29, 2020, more than 500 cadets of the 4th year, hundreds of officers, and warrant officers of the military academy were sent to the frontline to participate in the Patriotic War. Cadets of the 4th year participated in battles in various positions in the military rank of "junior lieutenant". 10 servicemen of the military academy became Shehids, 28 servicemen suffered injuries of varying severity and became ghazis, and more than 400 servicemen were awarded orders and medals for their courage.
For the courage demonstrated in the battles, some graduates of the military academy were awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan and other honorary titles by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Currently, 3 faculties of the Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev (Land Forces and Combined Arms Faculty, Air Force Faculty and Naval Forces Faculty) teach officers in 23 military specialties. Along with military specialties, specialists are educated here at the Bachelor's level major in “Systems Engineering”, “Aerospace Engineering”, “Radio and Telecommunications Engineering”, “Electrical and Electronics Engineering” and “Mechanical Engineering".
Graduates of the school are awarded a Bachelor's Diploma and the military rank of lieutenant.