Armed Forces of Turkmenistan
The Armed Forces of Turkmenistan, known informally as the Turkmen National Army is the national military of Turkmenistan. It consists of the Ground Forces, the Air Force and Air Defense Forces, Navy, and other independent formations.
History
Beginnings
After the fall of the Soviet Union, significant elements of the Soviet Armed Forces Turkestan Military District remained on Turkmen soil, including several motor rifle divisions. From V.I. Feskov et al. 2013 and Michael Holm's data, it appears that the three divisions were the 58th, 88th, and 209th District Training Centre at Ashkhabad. In June 1992, the new Russian government signed a bilateral defense treaty with Turkmenistan, encouraging the new Turkmen government to create its own armed forces but stipulating that they were to be placed under joint command.The United States Library of Congress Country Studies said that 'the Treaty on Joint Measures signed by Russia and Turkmenistan in July 1992 provided for the Russian Federation to act as guarantor of Turkmenistan's security and made former Soviet army units in the republic the basis of the new national armed forces. The treaty stipulated that, apart from border troops and air force and air defense units remaining under Russian control, the entire armed forces would be under joint command, which would gradually devolve to exclusive command by Turkmenistan over a period of ten years. For a transitional period of five years, Russia would provide logistical support and pay Turkmenistan for the right to maintain special installations, while Turkmenistan would bear the costs of housing, utilities, and administration.'
The Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies's Moscow Defence Brief said that in 1992–93 Turkmenistan attempted to create a small national armed force based on the former Soviet 52nd Army, which was located in the country and depended on support from Russia. Of the 300 formations and units, numbering 110,000 people, 200 were transferred to the command of Turkmenistan, 70 remained under Russia's jurisdiction, and 30 were either withdrawn or demobilized.
In 1994, the chief of staff and first deputy minister of defense was Major General Annamurat Soltanov, a career officer who had served in Cuba and Afghanistan; another deputy minister of defense, Major General Begdzhan Niyazov, had been a law enforcement administrator prior to his appointment. Russian commanders included Major General Viktor Zavarzin, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Separate Combined-Arms Army of Turkmenistan, and commander of the Separate Combined-Arms Army of Turkmenistan and deputy minister of defense Lieutenant General Nikolai Kormiltsev. Russian Major General Vladislav Shunevich served together with Turkmen Major General Akmurad Kabulov as joint commanders of the border troops in the Turkmen Border Guard. Under a 1993 bilateral military cooperation treaty, some 2,000 Russian officers served in Turkmenistan on contract, and border forces are under joint Russian and Turkmenistani command. Altogether, about 11,000 Russian troops remained in Turkmenistan in mid-1996.'
Military policy of Niyazov
Turkmenistan's military is considered to be the most neutral of all former republics of the Soviet Union. The country's military did not sign the Tashkent Treaty in May 1992, becoming an observer in the Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS. Turkmenistan's first military doctrine was adopted in 1994 enforcing this. The neutral policy of Turkmenistan was also emphasized in relation to the 1996 Afghan War, maintaining an even relationship with both the Taliban and the Afghan government. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, coalition troops did not appear on Turkmen territory. President Niyazov refused to provide the German government with a base to store German aircraft, arguing that the country intends to continue to follow the principles of neutrality.In 2002, a "labor army" was created by Niyazov's orders which saw the creation of specialized labor military units. Soldiers in these units began to be sent from military units to enterprises, construction sites and hospitals as cheap labor, being removed from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense.
Since 2006
said in 2009 that "Turkmenistan's military is, even by the standards of Central Asia, poorly maintained and funded."Weeks after he was inaugurated for a first term, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov announced his decision to endorse the country's second military doctrine, officially declaring neutrality and stating that the border with Afghanistan will be a national security priority. In 2016, a new military doctrine was adopted by Berdimuhamedov. In November 2018, President Berdimuhamedov reiterated this at a session of the State Security Council.
Military organization
State Security Council
Defense Ministry
The Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan is a government agency of the armed forces which is the executive body in implementing defense policies in Turkmenistan. It was founded in January 1992 with the assistance of the Russian Armed Forces. Most of the original employees were retired Soviet officials in the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR.General Staff
- Land Forces Command
- Department of the Missile Forces and Artillery
- Department of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces Command
- Department of Communication Troops
- Department of Engineering Troops
- Department of training specialists for the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan
- Department of Specialized Formations
The territorial Armed Forces of Turkmenistan are divided into 5 military districts in accordance with the administrative division of the country into 5 regions:
- Ahal Military District
- Balkan Military District
- Dashoguz Military District
- Lebap Military District
- Mary Military District
Ground Forces
The Turkmen Ground Forces inherited several motor rifle divisions from the Soviet Armed Forces Turkestan Military District, forming the basis for the branch. Among them was the 58th Motor Rifle Division at Kyzyl-Arvat. Today the ground forces include the 2nd, 3rd, 11th, and 22nd Motor Rifle Divisions. The 11th Motor Rifle Division "Sultan Sanjar" is the former Soviet 88th Motor Rifle Division, with its headquarters at Kushka/Serhetabat. It was reported in January 2007 that on the Caspian Sea and the coastal zone to a depth of 350 kilometers, and on the Turkmen-Iranian border is located about 90% of the Army.The number of vehicles is around 2,000, the number of tanks is around 700 and the number of artillery pieces is around 560. Turkmen ground forces equipment includes 702 T-72, and 10 T-90, ordered in 2009 for approximately $30 million. AIFV / APC include BTR-60/BTR-70/BTR-80 - 829, BMP-1/BMP-2 - 930, BRM-1 12, and BRDM-2 - 170. In 2021 Turkmenistan is to receive batch of Lazar 3 8x8 armored vehicle from Serbia.
Air Force
The IISS in 2012 said the Air Force had 3,000 personnel with 94 combat capable aircraft. The total number of aircraft is around 120. It said there were two fighter/ground attack squadrons with MiG-29/MiG-29UB, Sukhoi Su-17 Fitter-Bs and two Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoots. It reported one transport squadron with Antonov An-26 'Curl', and Mi-8s and Mi-24s. Training units had Sukhoi Su-7 Fitter-As and L-39 Albatross. Air defence missile units had SA-2, SA-3, and SA-5Units:
- 99th Aviation Base with MiG-29 and Su-25.
- 47th Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron with Аn-26/24, Mi-24 and Mi-8.
- 107th Fighter Aviation Regiment with 38 MiG-23 and 20 MiG-25.
- 31st Separate Aviation Squadron with MiG-21, Su-7, L-39, Yak-28 and Аn-12. Former 366th Independent Helicopter Squadron.
- 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment with MiG-23М. Former 179th Fighter Aviation Regiment.
- 56th Storage Base with MiG-23. Former 217th Fighter/Bomber Aviation Regiment.
- 1st Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment 'Turkmenbashi' with 2K11 Krug.
- 2nd Radio-Technical Brigade
Naval Forces
The International Institute for Strategic Studies reported in 2007 that Turkmenistan intended to form a navy and had a minor base at Turkmenbashy with one USCG Point class cutter and five Kalkan-class patrol vessels. Jane's Fighting Ships 2001-2002 reported that the Point-class cutter was the Merjin, PB-129,, which was transferred on 30 May 2000.
The country acquired four missile boats in 2011. In 2014 it acquired 10 Tuzla-class patrol boats which were all delivered by 2015.
In 2012, Turkmenistan announced its first naval exercises in the Caspian Sea programmed for early September. Named Hazar-2012, these tactical exercises came after a summer of somewhat heightened tensions with Azerbaijan over natural gas fields in a contested part of the sea.