ISSN 2522-9842 Journal of Scientific Papers “Social Development and Security”, Vol. 11, No. 2, – 2021 The second Karabakh war as a war of new generation Khayal Iskandarov 1 A; Piotr Gawliczek 2 B A War College of the Armed Forces, Republic of Azerbaijan B University of Warmia and Mazury, Poland Received: April 10, 2021 | Revised: April 21, 2021 | Accepted: April 30, 2021 DOI: 10.33445/sds.2021.11.2.9 Abstract The paper examines the views and ideas of various military experts and researchers on the war, broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan in late September, 2020. The Second Karabakh has been presented as a sample of the new generation warfare. The authors endeavored to substantiate the importance of the Second Karabakh War in the world’s military history by a variety of conclusive facts. Having considered the uniqueness of this war, a number of important lessons have been introduced in order to understand the nature of future wars. Key words: second Karabakh War, “Operation Iron Fist”, Patriotic War, 44-day war, Nagorno- Karabakh. Introduction The counter-offensive operation launched by 21, 2020). Gustav Gressel states that, Europe the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan must learn a military lesson from this war. The on September 27, 2020 is the largest military researcher claims that the armies of most campaign in the South Caucasus region since the European countries (except France and 1990s. Neither Armenia nor its foreign Germany) may find themselves in the miserable supporters have imagined that the processes situation in which the Armenian army was mired would have happened in this way. The Second (Gustav Gressel). Karabakh War attracted the attention of many According to Paul Iddon, it may take some foreign researchers and experts, both in terms years of retrospective analysis to conclusively of the modernity of the technology used and the determine that Azerbaijan may have been specificity of combat tactics. Even some military among the first to demonstrate how in the 21st institutions and organizations studied various century, small nations can increasingly deploy aspects of this war and decided to teach its such advanced weapons systems to compensate results in higher military schools. The for their size and decisively prevail against equal extraordinary and secret meeting of NATO in or even more powerful opponents (Paul Iddon). Berlin to analyze the experience of the 44-day Even though a number of researchers, political war, and the participation of high-ranking and military experts touched upon various Pentagon officials online through secure aspects of the Second Karabakh War, no Internet channels (Piriyev, Heydər), proves this definitive scientific study has been conducted once again. According to Michael Kofman, a U.S. yet. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the military expert, the United States has studied views of various researchers on the Second many conflicts, such as the 1973 Arab-Israeli war Karabakh War and highlight the significance of and identified areas for future investment in the this war for taking military lessons. The work is military. As a result, it deeply analyzes the mainly theoretical and uses methods of analysis, Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the Armenian- synthesis, induction and deduction. Azerbaijani war (Kofman, Michael, December 1 Corresponding author: e-mail: [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0001-8975-6530 2 Assoc. Prof., PhD, e-mail: [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0002-0462-1168 9 1 ISSN 2522-9842 Journal of Scientific Papers “Social Development and Security”, Vol. 11, No. 2, – 2021 Results and discussion The Armenian-Azerbaijani “Nagorno-Karabakh Azerbaijan’s successful combat operations conflict” has entered the history of the twentieth shattered their reputation among Armenian century as one of the most tragic conflicts, the community. The 44-day Second Karabakh War, consequences of which have seriously affected enshrined in the military history of Azerbaijan as a the fate of millions of people. Until the peace Patriotic War or “Operation Iron Fist” is touted as agreement of November 10, 2020, the conflict had the sample of modern war with its unique been accentuated as one of the most protracted features. In this paragraph we will try to elaborate conflicts. For twenty-seven years, Yerevan had on these features. eschewed negotiations and international On the third day of the Second Karabakh War, community simply observed and OSCE Minsk the commander of the US Marine Corps, General Group co-chairs made formal statements. For the David Berger, said that the strategy implemented last 5-6 years the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict had in Nagorno-Karabakh was taken into account in been at the focus of attention with sporadic various training scenarios a year ago. Commenting shootings. August 2014, April 2016, July 2020 were on the opinion of some researchers that “tanks are more conspicuous months with regard to the no longer needed”, the general said: “The Marine confrontation between the parties. That was the Corps doesn’t find tanks to be obsolete, but in 2019 reality of the “Nagorno-Karabakh conflict”. it decided to stop investing in the heavy armor Everything was evident, Armenia had occupied after a series of wargames concluded that they Azerbaijan’s territory and Baku had tolerated for were at a strategic disadvantage against precision approximately thirty years with an expectation of strikes like the one supposedly carried out in the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Azerbaijan had fight for Nagorno-Karabakh” (Morgan, Jared). always expressed a will for peaceful settlement of In fact, although not directly, General Berger the conflict. It should be particularly mentioned acknowledged that tanks had lost their that, Armenia had other territorial claims in importance, emphasizing their vulnerability to Azerbaijan in order to extend its so-called UAVs. However, along with the soldiers, the tank “security belt”. There were intelligence reports is still an extremely important tool in capturing that Armenia had been planning an offensive and consolidating the positions, which is operation against Azerbaijan with the purpose of considered a fundamental condition of war. In seizing other lands. Armenian policy of short, a place where a soldier does not put his transferring YPG/PKK terrorists who received boots is not considered captured. Tanks play an training in Iraq and Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh important role in their protection. Therefore, it is region is a proof of our argument. Pashinyan’s unprofessional to say that “tanks have lost their government had been preparing for war, while the relevance and must be dismantled”. As a result, world community expected them to prepare their the Second Karabakh War showed that against the nation for peace. Finally, on September 27, background of the growing demand for UAVs, Armenian Armed Forces initiated offensive other weapons (equipment) and highly trained operations along the entire frontline. However, ground troops play an exceptional role in Azerbaijan Armed Forces launched counter- destroying the enemy in modern wars. offensive, which ushered in a new security Along with the new technological capabilities, environment in the region. Azerbaijan’s resolute the military tactics applied by the Armed Forces of counter-offensive operation against Armenia the Republic of Azerbaijan also attracted the reverberated around the globe. Thus, Azerbaijan attention of military experts and researchers due Armed Forces smashed the first echelon of to their uniqueness. The Azerbaijani Army’s attack Armenian Army and broke down the so-called was based on detailed reconnaissance, artillery “impregnable defense line”. Armenian and UAV strikes. Although this tactic was similar to government did not expect it; therefore, the tactics used by the Turkish Armed Forces in 9 2 ISSN 2522-9842 Journal of Scientific Papers “Social Development and Security”, Vol. 11, No. 2, – 2021 2018 in the Syrian city of Afrin and Idlib province, that Armenia has no way to reverse such gains or it differed significantly in scale, form of relief and reconstitute its substantial losses. Consequently, military potential of the enemy. Because the war Baku can already claim a significant political in Nagorno-Karabakh was fought on a front of victory based on battlefield performance and about 200 km, the relief was extremely territory brought back under its control” (Kofman, complicated. In addition, the strength of terrorists Michael, October 24, 2020). About the same time, in Syria was much weaker than the military Jack Watling, research fellow at the Royal United strength of the Armenian army. Georgian Services Institute, highlighted Azerbaijan’s researcher Mariam Jintcharadze notes that “the superiority on the battlefield: “The Armenians six-week war proved two facts: 1) the have been caught off guard. Because one side is effectiveness of Turkey–Azerbaijan cooperation deploying modern weaponry and the other is using and 2) the strength of the Azerbaijani Army” weaponry from the 1970s and 1980s” (Foy, Henry) (Jintcharadze, Mariami). (Foy, Henry). Ridvan Ucrosta, a Polish researcher The vast majority of the military experts and who compared the UAVs of both sides, said: researchers observing the war stressed that the “Compared to the Harop, Orbiter–3, Orbiter–2, fate of the war was determined in favor of SkyStriker, Hermes–900, Thunder–B, Orbiter–2M, Azerbaijan in the second half of October. After Aerostar, Hermes–450 and Heron-1 used by Pashinyan’s “famous” speech on October 21 (the Azerbaijan on the battlefield, Armenian Krunk or Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan put Crane drones are three times less effective” forward a proposal consisting of six steps: 1) (Urcosta, Ridvan). create volunteer groups (minimum 30 people); 2) Analyzing the military processes in late October choose a commander from them; 3) apply to the and early November, Dmitry Kuznets said: “There military commissariat where the commander was little hope that the Armenian military units in lives; 4) undergo training in one of the military Nagorno-Karabakh would survive the defeat in units; 5) go to the front to defend the “homeland”; such a situation.