The day of formation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan is May 7, 1992. On this day, a presidential decree was signed on the creation of its own national armed forces and the first defense minister in the history of the country, Colonel General S.K., was appointed. Nurmagambetov. The Army General 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 amount of weapons and military equipment, buildings and structures of military units, a system of military commissariats. However, the difficult economic situation inherent in the entire post-Soviet space of the period of the late twentieth century, in many respects impeded the effective use of the rich Soviet legacy. Years of reductions, transformations led to the emergence of the armed forces in their current form. The army of Kazakhstan, whose photos of numerous exercises and parades are impressive, continues to develop.
general information
As of today, the organizational army of the Republic of Kazakhstan is represented by three types: ground forces, air defense forces and naval forces. The army of Kazakhstan, which numbers about 100 thousand people, is one of the hundred most combat-ready armies in the world.
Ground troops
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 the protection of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the protection of its sovereignty, the defense of state and military installations, the defense of land borders, and participation in peacekeeping missions. The army of Kazakhstan solves all these tasks. The country relies heavily on ground forces. They are the largest in the number of personnel of the armed forces. According to rough estimates, about 50 thousand people are serving in the ground forces.
Regional Ground Command
There are several regional commands:
1. The command "Astana" is located on 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 of the Republic.
2. The command "West" is located within the administrative borders of the Mangistau, Aktobe, Atyrau and West Kazakhstan regions. Among the tasks of this command, of particular importance is the protection of the economic interests of Kazakhstan in the Caspian region and in the Caspian Sea according to agreements between the countries.
3. The South command is located on the territory of the southeast of the Republic of Kazakhstan and performs an extremely important task in the current geopolitical situation - covering the southern borders of Kazakhstan from possible threats of Islamists, preventing drug trafficking, developing military partnerships with the southern neighbors - members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
4. The command "East" is located in the eastern part of the country, on the border with Russia and China. It is intended to ensure a substantial military presence in the region, to demonstrate defense capabilities and to organize advanced defense lines in the event of a conflict with other states.
Technical equipment
The ground forces are armed for the most part with Soviet-made equipment, partially modernized at Kazakh enterprises. Available is a small amount of equipment acquired from Russia after independence, as well as samples of weapons received 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 hostilities. According to most experts, no more than one thousand tanks are in fully technically fit condition. The vast majority are the T-72 tanks manufactured at Uralvagonzavod, in modifications A and B, which were delivered to the Republic of Kazakhstan from the Soviet Army. A 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 tanks of ground forces in the media is not found, and even purely hypothetically unlikely.
A large number of ground troops are equipped with Soviet-made armored fighting vehicles. The total number of vehicles of these types in service practically cannot be accurately estimated, however, it is at least one thousand tracked vehicles (BMP-1, BMP-2, MT-LB) and about five hundred knee armored personnel carriers (BTR-60K, BTR-70, BTR- 80). In addition to the above samples, there are a significant number of lighter class combat vehicles, such as, for example, the Turkish Otokar Cobra and the HMMWV received as a result of a military partnership with the United States. The niche of reconnaissance vehicles is occupied by the Soviet BRDM-2 in the amount of 150-200 units.
Air defense forces
The air defense forces are a system of objects of the air force, anti-aircraft missile and radio engineering troops, designed to provide cover from air strikes on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to assist the ground forces in repelling ground invasion, as well as to carry out transport and passenger transportation in the interests of the Ministry of Defense.
The air defense forces are armed with many types of aircraft, which can perform the whole range of tasks. Fighter aircraft are represented by the MiG-31 (25 pieces), Su-27 (30 pieces), as well as light front-line fighters Mig-29 (about 25). The main attack aircraft of the air defense forces today are the Su-25 and MiG-27. Army aviation in sufficient numbers is equipped with Mi-8 helicopters of widespread use, as well as Mi-24. Against this background, Eurocopter helicopters look quite exotic, the assembly of which is carried out on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan in accordance with the contract concluded in 2012. In addition to all this aviation equipment, there are a significant number of Soviet-made military transport aircraft and 12 Czechoslovak training aircraft L-39.
The level of flight skill of pilots of the air defense forces deserves special mention. This indicator is 100-150 flight hours per year, which is comparable to the same indicator in the Air Force of the Russian Federation.
Almost all of the aforementioned airplanes and helicopters were launched back in the Soviet period, and despite a significant reserve for modernization, in the next decade, the military leadership of the Republic of Kazakhstan will face the issue of rearmament of 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, the naval forces include the marines, coastal artillery and naval aviation.
Due to the specifics of the Caspian basin, as well as the geopolitical situation, the naval forces are armed with fairly small ships and boats. According to information from open sources, the Navy of Kazakhstan has about 20-22 small ships and boats.
Call system
Conscription in Kazakhstan is held twice a year: from April to June and from October to December. The draft contingent is formed of young men aged 18 to 27 years. The service in the army of Kazakhstan for citizens is 12 months. Soldiers can serve both close to home and in another region of the country. Deferment from the army in Kazakhstan or even complete exemption from service is granted upon reaching the maximum draft age, due to a health condition that does not allow military service, in the presence of close relatives killed in the line of duty, in the presence of an academic degree.
Features of the call
In 2015, the number of draftees will be 29 thousand people, which will fully cover the needs of the army of Kazakhstan for military servicemen. The total number of conscripts in the armed forces is gradually decreasing and amounts to 35%, according to the data for the previous year. Evasion of military service, according to the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has always been and is a crime and is punishable by a large fine and a term of imprisonment.
Mutual relationship
Hazing in the army of Kazakhstan is a topic for another discussion. 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 educational bodies, the army has shown a positive tendency to reduce the number of cases of hazing, the cases of conscripts committing suicide and self-mutilation have practically disappeared. Thus, it can be argued that the army of Kazakhstan, in which hazing still remains, has chosen the right vector to counter such behavior of old-timers in relation to recruits. It should be mentioned that hazing is an inevitable cost of the conscription system of manning the armed forces of any state.
