Harutyunyan was born and grew up in the village of Sagiyan, Shamakhi in central Azerbaijan SSR. He graduated from a Sovietmilitary college in Baku in 1967. Harutyunyan served in the Soviet armed forces, in the Soviet Army platoon from 1967 and then the commander of the reconnaissance from 1971. He was chief of motorized infantry division from 1976 to 1982. Afterward, Harutyunyan help positions in the Army Corps and Army Guard. In 1976 Colonel General Harutyunyan graduated from the Reconnaissance Department of Frunze Military Academy. In 1988 he graduated from the USSR Armed Forces General Staff Military Academy. He was the senior lecturer of the Military Academy from 1988 to 1992. In 1992, by the Order of CIS Joint Armed Forces Chief Commander, Harutyunyan was sent to Armenia and was assigned as the First Deputy Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces - Head of Operational Department. In 1994 he was promoted to the rank of Major General and was assigned as the Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces - First Deputy Minister of Defence. In 1996 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and in 2002 to the rank of Colonel General by the decree of the President of Armenia.
On 26 March 2007, Serzh Sargsyan, who was the Defence Minister, was appointed Prime Minister of Armenia after the sudden death of Andranik Margaryan. The post was vacant until 4 April 2007 when Colonel-General Mikael Harutyunyan was appointed to the post of Defence Minister. Before being appointed to the post, Harutyunyan was First Deputy Defence Minister.
Appointment as Advisor to the President
On 14 April 2008, the newly elected president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, signed two decrees: one appointing Mikael Harutyunyan as Chief Military Inspector, and another appointing him as a Presidential Advisor, with the hope that his skill and experience would prove useful in the continual development of the military. Replacing Mikael Harutyunyan in his Minister of Defence post was Seyran Ohanyan.
Awards
He is a recipient of orders and decorations of USSR, the Republic of Armenia and foreign states:
