Armenia needs to develop a new national security concept capable of addressing emerging threats, according to Zvika Haimovich, former Commander of the Israeli Air Defense Forces, retired Brigadier General. In an interview with Armenia TV, Haimovich described Armenia’s air defense capabilities as a “matter of life and death”, stressing that lessons from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war must not be ignored.
According to media reports, the group of Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian oligarch and candidate for the post of prime minister, introduced retired Israeli General Zvika Haimovich as an advisor to the security team of the "Strong Armenia" party. Reports indicate that Haimovich served in Israel during the period when Azerbaijan was acquiring air defense systems and combat drones from Israel (massispost.com).
In his interview, Haimovich pointed to the vulnerability of Armenia’s airspace during the 44-day conflict, particularly to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which caused significant damage. “The fact that the skies were not secured and that new threats, especially from drones, inflicted serious harm is undeniable,” he said. According to him, such risks cannot be overlooked.
“If you possess the knowledge, it must be used in service of the state and its interests.”
In a 2022 guest article for The National Interest, Haimovich highly praised the advantage Azerbaijan gained in the 2020 Karabakh war by using UAVs and modern air defense technologies. “In 2020, the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region made it clear that air defenses were crucial in determining victory and defeat”,- he wrote.
In the interview with Armenian media, Haimovich argued that a more effectively structured defense system could have led to a different outcome in the war, which he described as “very dramatic”. He emphasized that his role as a security advisor for the "Strong Armenia" party is to help shape a modern strategic framework for the country.
“We are working to build a new concept and models that can withstand future challenges and threats,” he said. “Strength and peace are interconnected. Only a strong country can achieve peace,” he stated. Haimovich declared that Armenia must rethink its Air Defense to meet future threats (panorama.am).
Ruben Rubinyan, Vice-Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, addressed the issue in a video shared on social media, criticizing the Russian oligarch for bringing in an Israeli general and including him in his group. He stated that this was effectively an attempt to introduce a foreign military figure into Armenia’s political field. Rubinyan assumes that Haimovich might even be their candidate for the post of Defense Minister.
“It apparently does not matter to them that he is neither a citizen of Armenia nor Armenian,” Rubinyan stated, criticizing the move and suggesting that the group treats Armenia not as a sovereign state, but as a privately managed entity.
“This is disgraceful, but also unsurprising, because the Israeli general has as much connection to Armenia as the Russian oligarch, who is not even a citizen but is being presented as a candidate for prime minister,” he added (massispost.com).
Who exactly is Zvika Haimovich?
Zvika Haimovich served as the Commander of the Israeli Air Defense Forces from 2015 to 2018. There is no information regarding whether he visited Azerbaijan or Armenia during his time in office.
According to an author profile published in the Jerusalem Post, Brigadier General Zvika Haimovich has over thirty years of experience in the Aerospace and Defense sector. Alongside a successful career as an Air and Missile Defense officer, General Haimovich has extensive experience developing strategy, policy and plans for joint, combined, and interagency operations. In addition, he also has vast experience leading large, complex organizations, managing changes and building teams and relationships.
During his service in the IAF, General Haimovich filled several positions such as the Commander in Charge of the Command Field in the IAF Air Defense school, Head of TRADOC (Training and Doctrine) branch in the IAF Air Defense Division, and Commander of the Active Defense Wing and Sky Defense Wing. He brings with him operational experience in high-intensity conflicts as well as professional experience in operating new systems and technology, such as: Iron Dome, Arrow 3, David Sling, Anti Drones Concept and more. These systems are core parts of Israel’s multi-layered missile defense system. Haimovich was also the commander of the Active Defense Wing during Israel's operations "Pillar of Cloud" (2012) and "Protective Edge" (2014) in the Gaza Strip.
Over the last few years, Zvika has served as a strategic consultant to several top elite companies in the field of security, cyber and private companies. He is an expert speaker on national security and geopolitical analysis, Leaderships presentations based on his experience in a dynamic environment and leading changes (jpost.com).
A potential contradiction in Azerbaijan-Israel military cooperation?
During the period Haimovich was commander of the Israeli Air Defense Forces, Azerbaijan acquired Barak-8 surface-to-air missile systems and various radar systems from Israel, strengthening its air defense capabilities.
These complexes, first demonstrated by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan in December 2016, include missiles designed to protect against all types of aerial threats, including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs, as well as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and fighter jets in both naval and land variants.
Additionally, Azerbaijan uses Israel's EL/M-2080 Green Pine radars to detect various aerial targets, as well as other radar models integrated into the country's general air defense system. Various sources state that Haimovich played a significant role in the development of the Green Pine.
According to some opinions, Zvika Haimovich's appearance in Armenia's political arena could increase the likelihood of revealing details of the military-technical cooperation that has been strengthening between Azerbaijan and Israel over the last 15 years. While Zvika Haimovich was not an official directly involved in signing interstate contracts in the context of military cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan, the systems he led and his subsequent military analyses sit at the heart of this cooperation. Simultaneously, many military technologies developed under Haimovich's leadership form the core of Azerbaijan's military arsenal. Now, Haimovich is helping Armenia build a new air defense strategy by learning from its defeat in the 2020 war.
Is there a risk of information leaks?
On one hand, a top-level Israeli air defense general participated in the creation of systems used by Azerbaijan (Barak, Green Pine, etc.); on the other hand, he is now expected to advise Armenia on how to protect itself from these systems or how to build a similar defense. Haimovich is also one of the individuals who best knows the "weak points" of the Israeli weapons in Azerbaijan's possession. His advising may require Azerbaijan to update its military tactics.
Could such a contradictory situation create problems in Azerbaijan–Israel military cooperation? Could this process lead to the leakage of past and present secrets of Azerbaijan–Israel military cooperation to the Armenian side?
Current observations suggest that while some diplomatic dissatisfaction is possible, it is not a factor large enough to disrupt the strategic military-technical cooperation between the two countries. At the same time, it is clear that if Azerbaijan buys the most modern air defense system (e.g., Barak-type) from Israel, experts who know the "weak points" or operational algorithms of that system giving advice to the opposing side (Armenia) could reduce the effectiveness of those weapons.
In general, the "non-compete" rule is widespread in the international arms trade. This can prohibit high-ranking military personnel and engineers from advising rival countries for a certain period (sometimes 2-5 years) after retirement.
However, it is possible that "confidentiality and exclusivity" clauses were added to the military-technical contracts Azerbaijan signed with Israel to prevent potential leaks.
Haimovich: “It is a political election support and nothing more than that”…
In response to a query from Abzas Media on the issue, Zvika Haimovich stated that he is not a security advisor, but he is part of the election campaign team to help formulate a national security strategy.
„I do not deal with selling weapons systems, nor do I promote sales, nor do I represent companies in the field. With zero tactical or technical issues! It is a political election support and nothing more than that.”, - he said.
He believes that regional peace is the right path to stability, economic growth, and maintaining secure borders: “This is the way to live in good neighborliness between countries”.
Haimovich stated that joining the campaign team was limited only to the time and purpose he mentioned, and that “there is no intention to be involved or integrated into any other activity beyond that.”
Author: Jasur Mammadov
