Senator Gary Peters Champions US-Armenia Security Cooperation in Defense Act

As a key member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Gary Peters was instrumental in moving the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act forward from the committee. This significant legislation features a provision championed by Senator Peters that encourages the U.S. Department of Defense to bolster its engagement with Armenia. The provision focuses on enhancing bilateral training opportunities and expanding other security cooperation activities between the two nations.

In September 2023, Senator Peters visited the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, where he observed the impact of the Lachin corridor blockade firsthand and gave a speech on the Senate floor condemning the Azerbaijani government’s military aggression and violence toward Armenia and called on the U.S. to stand behind the Armenian people. His visit also motivated Senator Peters to introduce the Armenian Protection Act, a legislative measure designed to address the security and humanitarian challenges resulting from the blockade. The Act gained unanimous approval in the Senate in November 2023.