Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The branches and subordinate bodies of the armed forces include:[5]

• Ministry of Defense
• Branches
  • Ground Forces
  • Air Defense Forces
  • Kazakh Naval Forces
  • Airborne Forces
  • Special Forces
  • Rocket and Artillery Forces
  • Territorial Troops
• Affiliated forces
  • National Guard of Kazakhstan
  • Civil Defense of the Committee of Emergencies
  • Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan
  • State Security Service of Kazakhstan

Armed Forces shoulder sleeve insignia

On May 7, 1992, the President of Kazakhstan took a number of actions regarding defence. He signed a decree on the 'establishment of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan', the transformation of the State Committee of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan into the Ministry of Defence, on the attribution of Sagadat Nurmagambetov the military rank of Colonel General, and the appointment of General-Colonel Sagadat Nurmagambetov as Defence Minister of Kazakhstan. Mukhtar Altynbayev served as the Minister of Defence twice, most recently from December 2001 to 10 January 2007.

On June 30, 1992, the Soviet Armed Forces' Turkestan Military District disbanded, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The most powerful grouping of forces from the Turkestan Military District then became the core of Kazakhstan's new military. Kazakhstan acquired all the units of the 40th Army (the former 32nd Army) and part of the 17th Army Corps, including 6 land force divisions, storage bases, the 14th and 35th air-landing brigades, 2 rocket brigades, 2 artillery regiments and a large amount of equipment which had been withdrawn from over the Urals after the signing of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.

On July 6, 2000, a Presidential Decree "On the structure of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan" changed the structure: The Armed Forces returned to a dual structure (general-purpose forces and air defense forces). The Airmobile Forces were created, the transition to the new military-territorial structure, established military districts, harmonized structure and deployment of troops. On August 7, Lieutenant-General A. B. Dzharbulov was appointed commander of the Southern Military District and Lieutenant-General E. Ertaev became commander of the Eastern Military District.

In February 2001 a Presidential Decree divided the functions of the Ministry of Defence and General Staff. According to the decree, the head of the General Staff subordinates all kinds of aircraft and type of troops and military districts, while the Minister of Defence has a mostly administrative and political functions. On March 30, Major General M. K. Sihimov was appointed commander of the Western Military Region. On October 12, M. Saparov was appointed to Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy of the Defence Minister. V. B. Elamanov became commander of the Airmobile Forces. On December 8, a new Defense Minister was appointed: General K. Altynbayev, and on December 27, Major General K. K. Akhmadiev was appointed commander of the Air Defense Forces.

Key defense posts announced early in 2002 included; Major-General Tasbulatov appointed Deputy of the Defense Minister, Maj. Gen. Elamanov commander of the Southern Military District, Maj. Gen. N. А. Dzhulamanov commander of the Eastern Military District, Maj. Gen. Zhasuzakov commander of the Airmobile Forces, Major-General A. Shatskov commander of the Central Military District and K. Altynbayev given the title of Army General.

Kazakhstan had its first military parade in its history at Otar Military Base on May 7, 2013, celebrating the Defender of the Fatherland Day as the national holiday for the first time ever. During the ceremony, the first woman was promoted to the rank of General.[6]

Today there are four regional commands: Regional Command Astana, Regional Command South at Taraz, Regional Command East at Semipalatinsk, Regional Command West at Aktobe, as well as the Air Defence Forces, the Airmobile Forces with four brigades, and the Artillery and Missile Forces (formed as a separate branch on 7 May 2003).[7]

Kazakhstan is a founding member of CSTO and SCO. Kazakhstan also has an Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO[8] & strategic cooperation with the Turkish Armed Forces.[9]

Regional Commands of Kazakhstan

The 32nd Army had been serving in Kazakhstan for many years. The 32nd Army had been redesignated initially the 1st Army Corps (1988), then the 40th Army (June 1991). It came under Kazakh control in May 1992. On November 1, 1992, on the basis of units of the former Soviet 40th Army of the Turkestan Military District, the First Army Corps was created, with its headquarters in Semipalatinsk.[10] Later, at its base was established the Eastern Military District, retitled on 13 November 2003 as Regional Command East.

Immediately prior to its dissolution, the 40th Army consisted of the 78th Tank Division (Ayaguz); the 5202nd Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment at Semipalatinsk (prior to 1989 – the 71st Motor Rifle Division); the 5203rd BKhVT Ust-Kamenogorsk (prior to 1989, the 155th Motor Rifle Division); the 5204th BKhVT at Karaganda (prior to 1989 – the 203rd Zaporozhye Khingan Motor Rifle Division), taken over by Kazakhstan on 7 May 1992, the 69th Tank Division (mobilisation) (Ust-Kamenogorsk), and the 10th Fortified Area.[11] The 69th Tank Division and the 10th Fortified Area were both disbanded in 1992.

In the middle of the 1990s Kazakhstan's land forces included the 1st Army Corps (HQ Semipalatinsk), with the 68th Motor Rifle Division (Sary-Ozek, in Kyzylorda Province) – 2 motor-rifle and one tank regiment and the 78th Tank Division (Ayaguz).[12] While the 68th Division was called a motor-rifle formation, in equipment terms it had almost 300 tanks and about 500 armoured fighting vehicles. The 78th Tank Division had 350 tanks, 290 armoured fighting vehicles and 150 artillery pieces. The 210th Guards Training Center, the former 80th Guards Motor Rifle training Division, had 6,000 soldier and officers and 220 tanks and 220 artillery pieces, so was a strengthened division. It was often called the Division of Guards by Kazakh sources.

Some of Kazakhstan's officers have trained at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Today the Ground Forces include four regional commands:[13]

• Regional Command "Astana" (Headquarters Karaganda) – the administrative boundaries of Akmola, Karagandy Province, Kostanay Province and North Kazakhstan. The command acts as the Supreme Commander's reserve. The commander of the district is Major General Vladimir Shatsky (as of April 2008). The District includes the 7th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade at Karaganda.
• Regional Command "East" (Headquarters Semipalatinsk) – in the administrative boundaries of East Kazakhstan and Pavlodar Province (Families, Ust-Kamenogorsk, George, and Ayagoz Usharalsky garrisons). Commander of the district is Lieutenant General Nikolai Pospelov (as of September 2008). The District has the 3rd Mechanized Division (formerly the 78th Tank Division) at Ayaguz, three (?) bases for storage of military equipment, 3rd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade at Usharal (Military Unit No.40398, formed on the basis of a motor rifle regiment of the 155th Motor Rifle Division), 4th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade at Novo-Akhmirovo, Ust-Kamenogorsk (Military Unit No.27943), a cannon artillery brigade, and an air defence missile brigade.
• Regional Command "West", (Headquarters Atyrau) – in the administrative boundaries of the West Kazakhstan Province, Aktobe Province, Atyrau Province and Mangystau Province. The main task is ensuring the integrity of state borders, territorial integrity, sovereignty and economic interests of Kazakhstan in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea. In 2008, the commander of the district appointed general Alimzhan Kanagatovich Erniyazov. The District has separate motor rifle and artillery brigades.
• Regional Command "South", (Headquarters Taraz) – in the administrative boundaries of Almaty Province, Zhambyl Province, South Kazakhstan Province and Kyzylorda Province. The district's main task is ensuring security in the south-eastern borders of the country. In 2008, General Alikhan Brimzhanovich Dzharbulov was appointed commander of the district. The District includes the 4th Motor Rifle Division at Sary-Ozek in Almaty Province, the 5th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Taraz, Military Unit No.85395, 1,500 personnel), the 6th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Shymkent, Military Unit No.35748, with five motor rifle and tank battalions, two artillery battalions), a mountain battalion, and the 210th Training Center. The 206th Reserve Division was previously stationed in this command area.

There are also the Air Defence Forces, the Airmobile Forces with four brigades, and the Artillery and Missile Forces (formed as a separate branch on 7 May 2003).[7]

Ground forces equipment

A Otokar Cobra

A T-72 main battle tank

Name	Origin	Type	In service	Notes
Armored fighting vehicle
T-72BA	Russia	Main battle tank	300[14]
BMPT	Soviet Union	Tank Destroyer	3[3]
BTR-80	Soviet Union	Amphibious APC	110[3]	of which 44 are the 82A variant
BPM-97	Russia	APC, MRAP	18[3]
Otokar Cobra	Turkey	Infantry mobility vehicle	17+[3]	Manufactured locally with license[15]
Marauder	South Africa	APC	90[3]
Humvee	United States	Armored car	40[3]

Paratroopers of the 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade

The Airmobile Forces were formed by grouping the 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade with new brigades formed from previous Soviet units. The 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade arrived from Germany in April 1991, and was taken over by Kazakhstan in 1992. Near Karaganda was the 5204th Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment, the remnants of a motor rifle division.[16] In 1998 two motorized rifle brigades were created from the former storage base. One of which was left near Karaganda, and another called 2nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade and was relocated 200 kilometers to the north of Nur-Sultan, which by that time was the capital, and for that reason ought to have a decent court garrison. No units were stationed in Nur-Sultan (Astana) during the Soviet period. In October 2003, the 36th Separate Air Assault Brigade was formed on the basis of the 2nd Motor Rifle Brigade. On the basis of Taldykorgan Motor Rifle Regiment, 173rd Sary Ozekskoy Motor Rifle Division, in April 2003 was formed the 37th Separate Air Assault Brigade.

• the 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade at Kapshagai,
• the 36th Air Assault Brigade at Nur-Sultan,
• the 37th Air Assault Brigade at Taldykorgan
• the 38th Air Assault Brigade – Peacekeeping Brigade KAZBRIG at Almaty[13][17][18]

Air Force roundel

Air Force bases of Kazakhstan.

At the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the 24th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division with three aviation regiments and three separate regiments was stationed in Kazakhstan.[19] By late 1993 the Kazakhstan Air Force comprised a total of six regiments, with a further air defence fighter regiment. The 11th Division included the 129th Fighter-Bomber Regiment based at Taldy Kurgan, with MiG-27 'Flogger' aircraft and the 134th Fighter-Bomber Regiment at Zhangiz-tobe with MiG-27s. There was also the 149th Bomber Regiment at Zhetigen/Nikolayevka, with Sukhoi Su-24 'Fencers'. Independent elements comprised the 715th Fighter Regiment at Lugovaya, with MiG-29s and MiG-23 'Floggers'; the 39th Reconnaissance Regiment at Balkhash, with MiG-25RBs and Su-24MR 'Fencer' aircraft, and the 486th Helicopter Regiment based at Ucharal with Mi-24 'Hind'. The sole air defence fighter aviation regiment was the 356th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Semipalatinsk with MiG-31 air defence fighters. The Air Force was under the command of Major General Aliy Petrovich Volkov.

Air Force 12,000 (incl Air Defence) 1 air force division. Pilots fly approximately 100 hours per year.

Today the Kazakh Air and Air Defence Force has four fast jet bases:[20]

• 600th Guards Air Base, Zhetigen, Nikolayevka, Almaty, with MiG-29,
• 602nd Air Base, Chimkent, with MiG-29,
• 604th Air Base, Taldykorgan Airport, with MiG-27 and Su-27 (previously the 129th Fighter-Bomber Regiment)
• 610th Air Base, Sary-Arka Airport, Karaganda, with MiG-31.

Current inventory

A Kazakh Sukhoi Su-27

A Kazakh Su-25

Antonov An-72 of the Kazakh Air Force

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service	Notes
Combat Aircraft
MiG-29	Soviet Union	multirole aircraft		12[21]
MiG-31	Soviet Union	Interceptor aircraft		21[21]
Sukhoi Su-25	Soviet Union	CAS		14[21]
Sukhoi Su-27/Su-30	Soviet Union	Air Superiority/Multi Role Fighter	Su-27/Su-27BM2 and Su-27UB/Su-27UBM2/Su-30SM	27[21]	24 Su-27 and 16 Su-30 on order[21]
Transport
Antonov An-12	Ukraine	heavy transport		1[21]		8[21]
Antonov An-72	Ukraine	heavy transport		1[21]	STOL capable aircraft
CASA C-295	Spain	transport	C-295M	8[21]	1 on order[22]
Helicopters
Mil Mi-17	Soviet Union	utility	Mi-8M/17	49[21]
UH-1	United States	utility helicopter	UH-1H	3[23]
Mil Mi-35	Soviet Union	helicopter gunship		8 on order[21]
Mil Mi-26	Russia	heavy lift / transport		2[21]
Eurocopter EC145	Germany	utility		12[21]	20 on order[21]
Trainer Aircraft
Aero L-39	Czech Republic	jet trainer		17[24]
Zlin 242	Czechoslovakia	trainer aircraft		1[21]
unmanned aerial vehicle
CAIG Wing Loong	People's Republic of China	MALE UCAV		2[25]

Kazakh naval emblem

Naval Ensign of the Kazakh Naval Force

Kazakhstan's Naval Forces were established by presidential decree on 7 May 2003 in spite of being the largest landlocked country on earth. They operate on the Caspian Sea, based at Aktau. The Kazakh Naval Force has a strength of 3,000 personnel and is equipped with fourteen inshore patrol craft.[30]

Republican Guard performing precision drill.

There are a number of special forces units reporting to various Kazakh security agencies which are not part of the Armed Forces. Examples of this include an Arystan Commando Unit and a Border Guard of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KNS), the Police have units, and the Kazakh Presidency.

Additionally, a small Republican Guard exists, with 2,500 soldiers (1994), but this force is not considered as a part of the Army. The Republican Guard was established on March 6, 1992, when the President of Kazakhstan signed a decree on their creation. The Republican Guard was established on the basis of a separate brigade of operational designation of the Internal Troops deployed in the village of Kaskelen district of Almaty region.[39] Two Republican Guard regiments were created, stationed in Nur-Sultan and Almaty.

There are approximately 8,000-8,500 women serving in the Kazakh army.[40] Of those women, 750 are officers.[41] The Ministry of Defence has been working to promote women in the military through educational programs and career advancement opportunities. Only 2.1% of leadership positions within the Ministry of Defence are held by women.[42] The Ministry of Defence also hosts Batyr Arular, which is a nationwide competition for service men and women, showcasing their combat skills, combat readiness and overall physical ability. Batyr Arular gives awards for the best service women.[43]

A hall in the National Defense University featuring national symbols as well as a photo of its patron, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in full dress uniform.

Cadets of the Military Institute of the Kazakh Ground Forces march in the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade.

The following institutions are the main military academies in Kazakhstan:

• National Defense University
• Talgat Bigeldinov Military Institute of the Air Defence Forces
• Military Institute of the Kazakh Ground Forces
• Military Engineering Institute of Radio Electronics and Communications

• CIA World Factbook, 2003 edition.
• Abai TASBULATOV, "The Kazakhstani Republican Guard: Its Record and Development Prospects", Military Thought, No. 4, 2009, pages 136–142

• Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies, Issue 11, 2010, Security and Defense Reform in Post Soviet Central Asia
• Building National Armies – Kazakhstan
• Kazakh armored forces parade