The Azerbaijani National Guard () is an armed force of the Government of Azerbaijan, and operates as a semi-independent entity. The Guard was definitely active in December 1996 but now appears to have been incorporated into the Special State Protection Service. The guard was established on the December 25, 1991. One of the most important tasks of the SPSS is the safety of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the South Caucasus Pipeline. NATO is providing the service with several helicopters and vehicles in order to safeguard the pipeline.