Defense - The Times Of Central Asia

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Uzbekistan Leads in Central Asia’s Military Strength Rankings

U.S. News recently published its list of the world’s strongest militaries, with Russia, the U.S., and Israel in the top three. The Times of Central Asia reviewed this rating in the Central Asian countries section. Uzbekistan ranks 19th globally in military strength, the highest in the region. However, U.S. News ranks the country 74th out of 78 in its “Best Countries” category, citing an economy still largely driven by cotton. Uzbekistan remains a major global player in cotton, as the fifth-largest exporter and seventh-largest producer worldwide. Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy, ranks 22nd for military strength and is noted for its vast reserves of fossil fuels, uranium, and other minerals. Much of Kazakhstan’s economic growth has been oil-driven, and the country ranks 83rd on the “Best Countries” list. U.S. News ranked countries based on cultural influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, openness to business, quality of life, and social purpose. In a separate ranking, the Global Firepower Military Index for 2024 lists Kazakhstan as Central Asia’s top military power, placing it at 58th worldwide. Uzbekistan has fallen by three places since last year’s rankings — the only country in the region not to show an improvement — and is now in the 65th position. In the bottom half of the table, Turkmenistan lies in 83rd place, while Kyrgyzstan is 100th. Global Firepower puts Tajikistan in 107th place, making it the region’s weakest army.

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Kazakhstan May Manufacture Turkish Bayraktar Drones

A delegation headed by Kazakhstan's Minister of Defense , Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov, attended the IV International Exhibition of Defense and Aerospace Equipment SAHA EXPO-2024 opening ceremony in Istanbul. The event brought together leading representatives of the military-industrial complex of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It demonstrated the latest developments, including automatic troop and battle management systems, robotic systems, communications, air defense, radio reconnaissance, electronic warfare, radio countermeasures, unmanned aerial vehicles, and laser technologies. During the exhibition, Zhaksylykov held talks with Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and Chairman of the Defense Industry Agency Haluk Görgün. He also met with Mohammed bin Mubarak Fadel Al Mazroui, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs. Special attention was paid to the talks with Baykar Defense CEO Haluk Bayraktar. The parties agreed on developing a roadmap for the localization of the production of tactical unmanned aircraft systems and barrage munitions at the operational level in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is actively developing the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with the involvement of foreign partners. One of the significant projects is the joint production of Anka drones with Turkey, which will start in 2024. The agreement between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Kazakhstan Engineering provides for technology transfer and the creation of an assembly line, allowing Kazakhstan to produce drones independently in the future. In addition to Turkey, Kazakhstan cooperates with South Korea and China on drones. In 2023, Petropavlovsk established local drone production using components from China. Such steps contribute to the development of Kazakhstan's defense industry and reduce dependence on imports.

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Death in Peacetime: Navigating Challenges and Responses in Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces

Deputies in the Mazhilis have raised the issue of violent deaths and suicides in the armed forces, whilst sections of the public have also called for the army to be converted to a contract basis and the draft age to be raised. Alarming statistics In late September, Konstantin Avershin, a member of the Mazhilis Committee on International Affairs, Defense, and Security, spoke about the results of an investigation into suicides in law enforcement and security agencies. Over the past four years, 86 suicides have occurred in across said agencies, Avershin stated, with this data pertaining to the Ministry of Defense, the National Guard of the Interior Ministry, the Border Service of the National Security Committee, the State Protection Service, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. “In four years, 40 suicides have been registered in the Armed Forces. In 2021 - 10, 2022 - 7, 2023 - 12, and 2024 - 11. By category these were: officers - 7, contract servicemen - 22, cadets - 4, conscript soldiers - 7. Pretrial investigations have been completed in 34 cases, and final procedural decisions have been made. In none of them were signs found of 'leading' to suicide,” according to Avershin. The proceedings in these cases were terminated due to a lack of corpus delicti. Despite this, based on the results of official investigations, disciplinary measures were taken against 180 persons: eleven were relieved of their posts, two were demoted, and 167 service personnel received various disciplinary sanctions in line with their rank. On October 8, Avershin raised another problem: the poor quality of food being provided to service personnel. According to his data, the funds allotted for rations per soldier is 2,250 tenge ($4.6) per day. By comparison, chess players, sport fishermen, ship modelers, and players of togyzumalak (a national board game) and checkers are entitled to 6,276.4 tenge ($12.9) per day, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sport's regulations for 2024. “A soldier cannot be fed almost three times worse than a checkers player,” Avershin stated. Earlier, MP Nartai Sarsengaliyev asked Defense Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov about the current situation in Kazakhstan's army. The deputy highlighted numerous high-profile cases, stating that over the past three years, 270 servicemen have died in Kazakhstan. “In August 2023, a commanding officer beat a recruit with a chair in a military unit. The case was closed after the parties reconciled. In June 2024, in one of the military units in the Zhambyl region, a soldier who had been in the army for only one month was admitted to intensive care in an unconscious state. The situation caused shocked society. National Guard soldier Yerbayan Mukhtar has been unconscious for five months after suffering a head injury. Those in charge say that 'Yerbayan 'fell in the bathroom and sustained a head injury.' Who would believe this? As a result of the injury, half of the soldier's skull was removed. Now, he needs constant care. Now his parents are taking Yerbayan abroad for treatment,” Sarsengaliyev stated. In...

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Agreement by Kazakhstan and Turkey on Air Transit

The Government of Kazakhstan has signed an agreement with Turkey on the transit of military equipment and personnel through the airspace of both countries. The resolution, adopted on September 11, establishes a procedure for using air corridors regulated and authorized by the Ministry of Defense, responsible for the transit of military equipment and personnel; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for issuing annual and one-time diplomatic permits (DCNs); and the Turkish Ministry of National Defense. Each party has committed to submitting a formal request through diplomatic channels by December 1 of a given year to obtain an annual diplomatic authorization number (DCN) which will be valid for transit operations from January 1 to December 31 of the following year. Enabling the transit of official delegations, military equipment and personnel, humanitarian aid, and diplomatic cargo, the decree comes into force from the day of its signing. The draft agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan and Turkey on the transit of military property and personnel through the airspace of both countries was published on the portal “Open NPA” on August 13 and was under discussion until August 27. The move which illustrates the strengthening relationship between the two countries, follows Kazakhstan's president's attendance at Recep Tayyip Erdogan's inauguration as president in Ankara in June 2023, Erdogans visit to Astana in November of the same year, and his return in July 2024, for the SCO Summit.

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Tajikistan to Increase Defense Budget

Tajik authorities plan to increase the 2025 defense, law enforcement, and judiciary budget to 4.7 billion somoni ($446 million); a rise equivalent to $92 million compared to the $354 million spent in 2024. As a percentage, spending on the army and security forces will rise to 2.8 percent of GDP, up 0.2 percent from the previous year. In adherence to the State Secrets Act, data on the breakdown of the budget remains confidential. However, issues concerning the efficient spending of allocated funds have recently come to light. In August 2024, the Agency for State Financial Control and Anti-Corruption reported that over 120 million TJS ($11.3m), intended for clothing and food for servicemen, had been embezzled from the Defense Ministry. In response, a criminal case was opened against 52 suspects, including ministry officials. According to documentation of increased military spending in Central Asia by the Stockholm Institute for Peace Research (SIPRI), in 2023, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan's expenditure on defense totalled $1.8 billion. Figures for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan remain unknown. The growth of the defense budget in the region is due to several factors, and in particular, border conflicts between Central Asian countries, the unstable situation in Afghanistan, and the war in Ukraine which have forced the region's states to strengthen their defense and revise strategic priorities regarding security. Changes in the geopolitical environment have also impacted military expenditure. Whilst Central Asian states previously relied heavily on Russia for security, the number of external partners has increased significantly. Alongside Russia, countries such as Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France, China, and Belarus, are beginning to play an essential role in the region's security. They also supply arms and military equipment. Experts note that increasing defense budgets, while necessary to maintain stability, cannot solve all security-related problems, and for the foreseeable future, political instability and internal factors remain severe challenges for Central Asian countries.

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Kyrgyzstan Hosts CSTO Exercises

According to a statement from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), troops from five of the organization's six member states -- Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Tajikistan -- have convened this week at the Edelweiss military training ground in Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul region for training. The joint exercises involve over five thousand people and 900 units of military equipment, with only Armenia not represented. “The tasks of the exercise include improving mechanisms for making and implementing decisions on the use of forces and means, as well as increasing coherence between the armies of the allied countries and the interoperability of military formations in preparing and conducting joint operations,” said Andrei Serdyukov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff. The exercises combine various training components. The maneuvers include special exercises with intelligence forces, and logistics exercises. The Interaction-2024 command-staff exercise is aimed at preparing for a joint operation to resolve a potential armed conflict. [caption id="attachment_22933" align="aligncenter" width="300"] @TCA. A.Chipegin[/caption] The CSTO press service said that one of the exercise's priorities this year is to improve the deployment of the collective forces, including managing the transit of military contingents through allied countries. Observers from nine countries are present at the Edelweiss ground: Algeria, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan. Also observing the exercise are representatives of the UN Secretariat, the SCO Secretariat, the CIS Executive Committee, and the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center. “In our dynamically changing world, security is becoming paramount, and this requires new approaches, effective coordination, and clear solutions... Our countries have become direct participants in the beginning reshuffle of forces in the world,” Lieutenant General Baktybek Bekbolotov, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Defense, commented at the opening of the exercise. According to Bekbolotov, the main threats to the countries of Central Asia are terrorism, separatism, and extremism, as well as the arrival of radical groups from the Middle East to the region's borders. “With a global threat, the efforts of one country are not enough. There are regional organizations for this purpose; in our case, the main one is the CSTO,” Bekbolotov stressed.