The Chief of the General Staff is appointed by the President of Azerbaijan, who is the supreme commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

It gained powers previously held by the MoD, turning the General Staff into a semi-independent structure.

According to the corresponding report, the Inspection Department of the Ministry, as well as the Military Commissariat were re-subordinated to the General Staff.

The existing Organizational Mobilization Department of the General Staff was abolished and merged with the Military Commissariat.

[2][3] The General Staff itself was then divided into six main departments:[3] On 26 July 2014, a groundbreaking ceremony for a new and modern office building for the General Staff Headquarter was held at the Ministry of Defense, attended by Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov.