The modern army of Kazakhstan: strength and armament

The day of the formation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan is May 7, 1992. On this day, the President signed a decree on the creation of his own national armed forces and the first defense minister was appointed in the country's history: Colonel-General S.K. Nurmagambetov. The general of the army of Kazakhstan is the highest military rank of the republic. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the state received at its disposal a huge number of weapons and military equipment, the building and construction of military units, the system of military commissariats. However, the difficult economic situation inherent in the entire post-Soviet space of the late twentieth century, in many respects prevented the effective use of the rich Soviet legacy. The years of reductions and transformations have led to the emergence of armed forces in their current form. The army of Kazakhstan, whose photos of numerous exercises and parades are impressive, continues to evolve.

general information

As of today, the organizational structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan army is represented by three types: ground forces, air defense forces and naval forces. The army of Kazakhstan, numbering about 100 thousand people, is one of the world's most efficient armies.

Ground troops

The ground forces are formed in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Defense and Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan". Their main purpose is to protect the territorial integrity of the Republic of Kazakhstan, protect its sovereignty, defend state and military facilities, defend land borders, and participate in peacekeeping missions. All these tasks are decided by the army of Kazakhstan. The country makes a big bet on the ground forces. They are the largest armed force in terms of the number of personnel. Approximately 50 thousand people are serving in the ground forces.

Regional Ground Forces Commands

There are several regional commands:

1. The command "Astana" is located in the territory of the Karaganda region, as well as the northern regions of Kazakhstan on the border with Russia. It is a reserve of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Republic.

2. Command "West" is located within the administrative boundaries of Mangistau, Aktyubinsk, Atyrau and West Kazakhstan regions. Among the tasks of this command, it is of particular importance to protect Kazakhstan's economic interests in the Caspian region and in the water area of the Caspian Sea in accordance with the agreements between the countries.

3. The command "South" is located in the territory of the southeast of the Republic of Kazakhstan and performs a task extremely important in the modern geopolitical situation - covering the southern borders of Kazakhstan against possible threats of Islamists, hindering drug trafficking, developing military partnership with the southern neighbors - CSTO members.

4. The command "East" is located in the eastern part of the country, on the border with Russia and China. It is designed to provide a substantial military presence in the region, demonstrate defense capability and organize advanced defense lines in the event of a conflict with other states.

Technical equipment

Land forces have in service mostly Soviet-made equipment, partially modernized at Kazakh enterprises. There is a small amount of equipment acquired from Russia after the declaration of independence, as well as samples of weapons obtained as a result of military-technical partnership with NATO countries. According to various estimates, the ground forces have at their disposal about 2500 tanks in various degrees of readiness for combat operations. According to most experts, there are no more than one thousand tanks in a fully technically sound condition. The overwhelming majority consists of the T-72 tanks produced in the Uralvagonzavod, in the A and B modifications that the Republic of Kazakhstan inherited from the Soviet Army. The smaller, but still significant, share is occupied by older T-62 tanks, also produced in the USSR. Information about the presence of other types of ground forces in the ground forces is not found in the media and is even hypothetically unlikely.

In large numbers, ground forces are equipped with Soviet armored combat vehicles. The total number of machines of these types in service can not be estimated accurately, but it is at least one thousand caterpillar vehicles (BMP-1, BMP-2, MT-LB) and about 500 knee armored personnel carriers (BTR-60K, BTR-70, BTR- 80). In addition to the above samples, there is a significant number of combat vehicles of lighter classes, such as the Turkish Otokar Cobra and the resulting military partnership with the US HMMWV. The niche of reconnaissance vehicles is occupied by the Soviet BRDM-2 in the number of 150-200 units.

Air Defense Forces

The air defense forces are a system of air force facilities, anti-aircraft missile and radio-technical troops designed to provide cover from air strikes of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, rendering assistance to ground forces in repelling a ground invasion, as well as carrying out transport and passenger transportation in the interests of the Ministry of Defense .

In the arsenal of the air defense forces, there are many types of aviation equipment, which makes it possible to carry out the whole range of tasks. Fighter aircraft represented MiG-31 (25 pieces), Su-27 (30 pieces), and light front-line fighters MiG-29 (about 25). The main attack aircraft of the air defense forces for today are the Su-25 and MiG-27. Army aviation in sufficient numbers is equipped with Mi-8 helicopters of wide use, as well as Mi-24. Against this background, Eurocopter helicopters, which are assembled on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan in accordance with the contract signed in 2012, look rather exotic. In addition to all these aircraft, there is a significant number of Soviet-made military transport aircraft and 12 Czechoslovak training aircraft L-39.

The level of flight skill of air force pilots deserves a separate mention. This indicator is 100-150 flight hours a year, which is comparable with the same figure in the Air Force of the Russian Federation.

Almost all of the above-mentioned aircraft and helicopters were launched during the Soviet period, and despite significant reserve for modernization, in the next decade the military leadership of the Republic of Kazakhstan will face the question of rearming the air defense forces. A similar situation is observed with the fleet of anti-aircraft missile systems.

Naval Forces

The naval forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan have the main task of protecting the economic or other legitimate interests of Kazakhstan in the Caspian Sea. In addition to the Caspian Flotilla itself, naval infantry, coastal artillery and naval aviation are among the naval forces.

Because of the specifics of the Caspian basin, as well as the geopolitical situation, naval forces have enough small ships and boats in service. According to information from open sources, in the armament of the Navy of Kazakhstan there are about 20-22 small ships and boats.

The call system

The call-up to the army in Kazakhstan takes place twice a year, from April to June and from October to December. The draft contingent is formed from young men aged 18 to 27 years. Service in the army of Kazakhstan for citizens is 12 months. Soldiers can serve as close to the house, and in another region of the country. The postponement of the army in Kazakhstan, or even full exemption from service, is provided when the maximum age of conscription is reached , for health reasons, which does not allow military service, with close relatives killed in the line of duty, in the presence of a scientific degree.

Features of the draft

In 2015, the number of recruits will be 29 thousand people, which will fully cover the needs of the army of Kazakhstan in the military conscripts. The total number of military conscripts in the armed forces is gradually decreasing and is 35%, according to the data for the previous year. Evasion from military service, according to the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has always been a crime and is punishable by a large fine and a term of imprisonment.

Untrusted relationship

Hazing in the army of Kazakhstan is a topic for a separate conversation. It should be noted that in recent years, thanks to the joint work of the prosecutor's office, the command of the armed forces, as well as the educational bodies, there has been a positive tendency in the army to reduce the number of cases of hazing, and cases of suicide recruitment and self-mutilation have practically disappeared. Thus, it can be argued that the army of Kazakhstan, whose hazing still persists, has chosen the right vector to counteract such behavior of old-timers in relation to new recruits. It should be mentioned that such a phenomenon as hazing is the inevitable cost of the draft system of manning the armed forces of any state.

Conclusion

To summarize, it should be added that the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan are quite a serious force on the scale of the Central Asian region. Kazakhstan certainly does not pretend to play the leading role, but the attention paid to the army and its development allows it to provide the republic with a high level of defense capability, as well as to participate in the international fight against terrorism and in peacekeeping missions, which is an important part of international defense cooperation.