The system of military science and education plays an exceptional role in the establishment of strong and modern Armed Forces, which are one of the attributes of an independent state. Military science and education are a special strategic area of activity that ensures the security and defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as a teaching and educational process that provides continuous assimilation of systematized knowledge, skills, and abilities. Military education as one of the main parts of combat power is an activity for training personnel capable of fulfilling tasks assigned to the Armed Forces and other armed formations with high professionalism. After the Second Karabakh War, reforms began in the direction of the military education of the victorious Azerbaijan Army. Thus, according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, dated March 5, 2022, No. 1626, the National Defense University was established on the basis of the practice of advanced foreign armies. The National Defense University is a special higher educational institution, part of the structure of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, providing training of specialists at all levels of higher education through subordinate special educational institutions, implementing programs of complete secondary education of general education, secondary special and additional education, as well as carrying out fundamental, theoretical and methodological, pedagogical and methodological and scientific research. The National Defense University consists of a network of special educational institutions and educational management bodies that consistently implement multi-level educational programs. The main purpose of the activity is to provide training of specialists with secondary special education and with high qualifications, scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan through subordinate special educational institutions, as well as to organize the training of state bodies’ officials on military-strategic, military-economic and military-political issues, the conduct of research in the sphere of military science and training in additional education.
The management of the National Defense University, the rights and duties of personnel and students, the basic principles and norms in the field of military science and education are determined by the regulations of special educational institutions, the requirements of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Science” and the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Education".
The main activities of the National Defense University are educational, teaching and educational, methodical, scientific-research, and editorial-and-publishing works. Educational work includes planning and monitoring the organization of all types of educational classes in special educational institutions subordinate to the National Defense University, maintaining a unified record of information based on the results of the assessment of the assimilation of educational material by students, as well as providing recommendations for improving educational work on the results of teaching and educational, methodological work, scientific-research, and editorial-and-publishing information.
Based on the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the tasks set by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, orders and directives of the Minister of Defense, the main purpose of the system of military science and education can be summarized in the following form:
- Education of independent and creatively thinking servicemen (officers, warrant officers, and non-commissioned officers) who are aware of their responsibility to the Azerbaijani people and the state, loyal to the Motherland and the people, national-moral values and democratic principles, human rights, and the ideas of Azerbaijanism;
- training of qualified personnel capable of preserving and developing national-moral and universal human values, having a broad outlook, appreciating initiatives and innovations, possessing theoretical, practical knowledge, and modern thinking, as well as proficiency in weapons and military equipment;
- training of servicemen and civil officials who ensure the assimilation of systematized knowledge, skills, and continuous professional development, making efforts in the field of combat training of the Armed Forces and increasing the state's defense capability.
Currently, the training of military and civilian personnel of various categories for the Azerbaijan Army is carried out in educational institutions of the National Defense University (Military Research Institute, Military Administration Institute, Training and Educational Center of the Azerbaijan Army, Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev and the Military Medical Faculty of the Azerbaijan Medical University).
According to the requirements of the "Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Education", the stages and levels of education at the National Defense University are defined as follows:
- complete secondary education;
– professional and secondary education;
– Bachelor's, Master's and Adjunct’s (Ph.D.) levels of higher education.
The first level of education - complete secondary education is carried out in special complete secondary educational institutions: Military Lyceums named after Jamshid Nakhchivanski and Military Lyceums named after Heydar Aliyev. Professional training is carried out at the Training and Educational Center of the Azerbaijan Army in training courses for warrant officers and non-commissioned officers.
The training of officers at the Bachelor's level is carried out at the Military Institute named after Heydar Aliyev, the training of officers at the Master's level is carried out at the Military Administration Institute, and the training of officers at the adjunct (doctorate) level is carried out at the Military Scientific Research Institute.
During the Soviet Union despite the resistance of the former Soviet leadership, far-sighted and wise Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev succeeding in establishing a military school named after Jamshid Nakhchivanski on his own initiative in 1971 with no analogy in former Soviet Union republics, and a discounted admission of Azerbaijani youths to Baku High Joint Commanders School and Baku High Navy School, as well as other military schools.
The establishment of the War College of the Armed Forces, advanced officers’ course, warrant officers course, The Nakhchivan branch of Military Lyceum named after J. Nakhchivanski, reserve officers’ course, Military Medical Faculty of the Azerbaijan Medical University and Training and Educational Center of Armed Forces in 1997-2001 have great importance in providing the Armed Forces with professional, knowledgeable and committed officers.
Today, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, a worthy successor to the political course of Heydar Aliyev, also holds under his personal control the problem of education. In this regard, the words of the country's leader will remain relevant not only today but also in the future: "As you know, great attention is paid to the field of education in Azerbaijan. Education means knowledge, science, and progress. Every state and every nation must strive for further improvement of its educational system. Work in this direction is also carried out in Azerbaijan. Recently, certain decrees were issued, and I am sure that they will play a major role in the development of education in the future. It should also be noted that 11.5 percent of the budget is allocated to education in our country. That is, most of the funds are directed from the budget to this area. This is natural. Because education is our future.” The opinion of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces once again showed that the work carried out at the current stage of the development of the Azerbaijan Army in the field of military science and education is aimed at ensuring high combat training in the troops, at the development of boundless loyalty and constant professional training of officers, midshipmen, and servicemen of super-urgent validity. military service to the country, the people, and the president.