HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Armed Forces of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň Ýaragly Güýçleri), known informally as the Turkmen National Army () is the national military of
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
. It consists of the
Ground Forces An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, the Air Force and Air Defense Forces,
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
, and other independent formations (etc. Border Troops,
Internal Troops The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs (MVD) (russian: Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел, Vnutrenniye Voiska Ministerstva Vnutrennikh Del; abbreviat ...
and
National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...
).


History


Beginnings

After the fall of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, significant elements of the
Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and t ...
Turkestan Military District The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...
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 (former 61 Training MRD) at Ashkhabad. In June 1992, the new
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
n government signed a bilateral defense treaty with
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
, encouraging the new Turkmen government to create its own armed forces but stipulating that they were to be placed under joint command. The
Library of Congress Country Studies The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the United States Library of Congress, freely available for use by researchers. No copyright is claimed on them. Therefore, they have been dedicated to the public domain a ...
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 The Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) (Russian: Центр анализа стратегий и технологий) is an independent, for-profit Russian think tank located in downtown Moscow. CAST conducts research and ...
'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 Annamurat Soltanovich Soltanov ( tk, Annamurat Soltanoviç Soltanov) was a Turkmen general who served as the first chief of the general staff of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. Early life and career He was born in Mary Region in 1943. In 1961, ...
, a career officer who had served in
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
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 Viktor Zavarzin (born 28 November 1948) was an officer in the Soviet Ground Forces and later the Russian Ground Forces with the rank of colonel general. He attended the Frunze Academy in 1981 and the General Staff Academy in 1992. In 1994, he ...
, 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 Nikolai Viktorovich Kormiltsev (; born 14 March 1946) was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces from 2001 to 2004, before being replaced by Alexey Maslov. Biography Kormiltsev was born on 14 March 1946 in Omsk, joining the Soviet Arm ...
. Russian Major General
Vladislav Shunevich Vladislav ( be, Уладзіслаў (', '); pl, Władysław, ; Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, sh-Cyrl, Владислав) is a male given name of Slavic origin. Variations include ''Volodislav'', ''Vlastislav'' and ''Vlaslav' ...
served together with Turkmen Major General
Akmurad Kabulov Major General Akmurad Nazarovich Kabulov ( tk, Akmyrat Nazarowiç Kabulow, russian: Акмурад Назарович Кабулов) is a Turkmen general and politician. Biography He was born in 1942 on the Bolshevik collective farm of the Mos ...
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 (about 5,000 in 1995) 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 Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. The country's military did not sign the
Tashkent Treaty Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of 2 ...
in May 1992, becoming an observer in the
Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS The Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS () is a working body in the Commonwealth of Independent States responsible for military policy of the CIS. It coordinates military cooperation of the CIS member states, and develops military and de ...
. 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 The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
and the Afghan government. Following the events of
9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...
, coalition troops did not appear on Turkmen territory, in particular, when 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 The notion of the Labor army (трудовая армия, трудармия) was introduced in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War in 1920. Initially the term was applied to regiments of Red Army transferred from military activity to lab ...
" 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

Jane's Information Group Jane's Information Group, now styled Janes, is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane. History Jane's Informat ...
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 Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow (born 29 June 1957), also known as Arkadag (Cyrillic: Аркадаг, "protector"), is a Turkmen politician who served as the second president of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022. A dentist by profes ...
announced his decision to endorse the country's second military doctrine, officially declaring neutrality and stating that the border with
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
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 hierarchy


State Security Council


Defense Ministry

The
Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan The Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan ( Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Goranmak ministrligi) is a government agency under the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan which is the executive body in implementing defense policies in Turkmenistan. The current Minis ...
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 The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...
. Most of the original employees were retired Soviet officials in the
Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR The Communist Party of Turkmenistan (russian: Коммунистическая партия Туркменистана; tk, Türkmenistanyň Kommunistik Partiýasy) was the ruling communist party of the Turkmen SSR, and a part of the Communis ...
.


General Staff


Structure

* 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


List of Chiefs of Staff

The Chief of the General Staff of Turkmen Armed Forces is the highest-ranking military officer in the military, being responsible for maintaining the operational command of the military and its three major branches.


Military organization

The territorial Armed Forces of Turkmenistan are divided into 5 military districts in accordance with the administrative division of the country into 5
regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
: *
Ahal Ahal may refer to: * Ahal Province, in Turkmenistan * Ahel, a city in Fars Province, Iran * FC Ahal Ahal Änew Football Club ( tk, Ahal Änew Futbol Kluby), or simply Ahal FC, is a Turkmen professional association football club based in the ...
Military District *
Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
Military District * Dashoguz Military District * Lebap Military District *
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
Military District Each military district includes district military command and control bodies, military units, individual military units and subunits, military commissariats of etraps and cities with etrap rights. The Territorial Defence Troops of Turkmenistan also serve regional purposes.


Ground Forces

The Turkmen Ground Forces inherited several motor rifle divisions from the
Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and t ...
Turkestan Military District The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...
, forming the basis for the branch. Among them was the 58th Motor Rifle Division at Kyzyl-Arvat. Today the ground forces include the
2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...
, 3rd,
11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first atteste ...
, and 22nd Motor Rifle Divisions.Vad777
Turkmenistan
The
11th Motor Rifle Division "Sultan Sanjar" The 11th Motor Rifle Division "Sultan Sanjar" is a unit of the Turkmen Ground Forces. It descends from the 88th Motor Rifle Division of the Soviet Army, first formed in May 1957. It is currently based out of Serhetabat (formerly Kushka). History ...
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 The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central A ...
and the coastal zone to a depth of 350 kilometers, and on the Turkmen-Iranian border is located about 90% of the Army (22nd Motorized Division on the Caspian coast, 2nd and 3rd motorized divisions on the Turkmen-Iranian border, 11th Motorized Division on the Tajik-Afghan border). 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 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks h ...
, and 10
T-90 The T-90 is a third-generation Russian main battle tank. It uses a 125mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner's thermal sight. Standard protective measures include a blend of steel and comp ...
, ordered in 2009 for approximately $30 million. AIFV / APC include
BTR-60 The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen in public for the first time in 1961. BTR stands for ''Brone ...
/
BTR-70 The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier (russian: бронетранспортер/ ''Bronetransporter'', or literally "Armoured Transporter") originally developed by the Soviet Union during the late 1960s under the manufacturing ...
/
BTR-80 The BTR-80 (russian: бронетранспортёр, bronyetransportyor, literally "armoured transporter") is an 8×8 wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the USSR. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous ...
- 829,
BMP-1 The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle, in service 1966–present. BMP stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1'' (russian: link=no, Боевая Машина Пехоты 1; БМП-1), meaning "infantry fighting ve ...
/
BMP-2 The BMP-2 (''Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty'', , literally "combat machine/vehicle (of the) infantry") is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s. Development hist ...
- 930,
BRM-1 This is a complete list of variants and designations of the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). It is sorted by country of origin. Variants Soviet Union Infantry fighting vehicles * BMP (Ob'yekt 764) – The original main prototype of the ...
12, and
BRDM-2 The BRDM-2 (''Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina'', Боевая Разведывательная Дозорная Машина, literally "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle") is an amphibious armoured scout car used by states that we ...
- 170. In 2021 Turkmenistan is to receive batch of
Lazar 3 The Lazar 3 is the latest version of the Lazar armored vehicle family of armed personnel carriers, designed for various applications and missions. It is designed and produced by Yugoimport SDPR. History On March 20, 2021, procurement contract ...
8x8 armored vehicle from Serbia.


Air Force

The IISS in 2012 said the
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
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 (total of 24 both types),
Sukhoi Su-17 The Sukhoi Su-17 (''izdeliye'' S-32) is a variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber developed for the Soviet Union, Soviet military. Its NATO reporting name is "Fitter". Developed from the Sukhoi Su-7, the Su-17 was the first variable-sweep wing airc ...
Fitter-Bs (65) and two
Sukhoi Su-25 The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' (russian: Грач ('' rook''); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Sovi ...
Frogfoots (with 41 more being refurbished). It reported one transport squadron with
Antonov An-26 The Antonov An-26 ( NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Tw ...
'Curl' (1), and Mi-8s and Mi-24s (8 and 10 listed in service respectively). Training units had
Sukhoi Su-7 The Sukhoi Su-7 ( NATO designation name: Fitter-A) is a swept wing, supersonic fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in 1955. Originally, it was designed as a tactical, low-level dogfighter, but was not successful in this role. On ...
Fitter-As (3 listed in service) and L-39 Albatross. Air defence missile units had SA-2, SA-3, and SA-5 Units: *99th Aviation Base (former 67th Mixed Aviation Regiment) ( Mary-2 airbase) with MiG-29 and Su-25. *47th Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron ( Аk-Tepe/
Ashkabad Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...
) with Аn-26/24, Mi-24 and Mi-8. *107th Fighter Aviation Regiment ( Ak-Tepe) with 38 MiG-23 and 20 MiG-25 (not operational). *31st Separate Aviation Squadron ( Chardzhou/ Turkmenabad) with MiG-21, Su-7, L-39, Yak-28 and Аn-12 (not operational). Former 366th Independent Helicopter Squadron. *55th Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Balkanabat , other_name = Neftedag Nebit-Dag , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Turkmenist ...
) with MiG-23М (not operational). Former 179th Fighter Aviation Regiment. *56th Storage Base (Kyzyl-Arvat) with MiG-23. Former 217th Fighter/Bomber Aviation Regiment. *1st Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment 'Turkmenbashi' (Bikrova/
Ashkabad Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...
) with
2K11 Krug The 2K11 ''Krug'' (russian: 2К11 «Круг»; en, circle) is a Soviet and now Russian medium-range, medium-to-high altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. The system was designed by NPO Novator and produced by Kalinin Machine Building ...
. *2nd Radio-Technical Brigade


Naval Forces

The
Turkmen naval forces The Turkmen Naval Forces ( Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Harby-deňiz Güýçleri) is the naval warfare branch of the armed forces of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan's Navy Day is celebrated annually on October 9. The naval forces were directed by the ...
are currently directed by the defense ministry and consist of around 700 servicemen and sixteen patrol boats. The
Congressional Research Service The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a ...
, citing the
International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...
, reports a number of six patrol boats. 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 ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' by Janes Information Services is an annual reference book of information on all the world's warships arranged by nation, including information on ships' names, dimensions, armaments, silhouettes and photographs, etc. Ea ...
2001-2002 reported that the Point-class cutter was the ''Merjin,'' PB-129, (ex ''Point Jackson,'' 82378), which was transferred on 30 May 2000. The country acquired four
missile boats A missile boat or missile cutter is a small, fast warship armed with anti-ship missiles. Being smaller than other warships such as destroyers and frigates, missile boats are popular with nations interested in forming a navy at lower cost. They a ...
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 (''Hazar'' is the Turkic name of the Caspian Sea), these tactical exercises came after a summer of somewhat heightened tensions with Azerbaijan over
natural gas field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
s in a contested part of the sea.


Other security forces


Türkmen Edermen

The Special Task Force " Türkmen Edermen" (Valiant Turkmen in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
) is a composite military unit drawn from the armed forces and national law enforcement agencies such as the
Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
, the State Border Service, and the Ministry for National Security.


Presidential Security Service

The Presidential Security Service () is responsible for ensuring the protection and security of the president. Established in November 1990, it is a directly reporting body of the President of Turkmenistan and not part of the Ministry of Defense. During state visits to foreign countries, the service provides at least 10 agents to protect the president. The Presidential Security Service is currently composed of 2,000 employees.


Border Guard

The
State Border Service of Turkmenistan The State Border Service (SBS) ( tk, Döwlet Serhet Gullugy, DSG; russian: Государственная пограничная служба, ГПС) also commonly known by its paramilitary force as the Turkmen Border Troops ( tk, Türkmenistan S ...
is a public service department in the government of the country and is under the command of the Ministry for National Security of Turkmenistan. The main tasks of the service include the following: protecting of the national border of the country, combating international terrorism and
drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...
, targeting illegal migration and
human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extr ...
, and protecting oil and gas platforms and pipelines in the
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central A ...
. The head of the service is a member of the Council of Border Guard Commanders of the
Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
(CIS).


Internal Troops

The
Internal Troops The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs (MVD) (russian: Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел, Vnutrenniye Voiska Ministerstva Vnutrennikh Del; abbreviat ...
is under the auspices of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
. It is designed to maintain law and order and enforce the
status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...
in terms of state sovereignty. It aides the Turkmen National Police in its everyday activities, being organized similarly to the ground forces.


Turkmenistan’s Inventory Of AFV


Personnel


Ranks


Military education

Founded in 1993 and 2007 respectively, the
Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan named after Great Saparmurad Turkmenbashy () is higher military educational institution in the national education system of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. History The Military ...
and the Military Academy of Turkmenistan are the senior most military academies of their kind in
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
. Other military academies include the Turkmen Police Academy, the Turkmen National Security Institute, and the Turkmen Naval Institute. Border guards are trained at special institutes in military universities.


Personnel awards

* Medal "Edermenlik" * Medal "For impeccable service to the Fatherland" * Medal "Turkmen Edermen" * Breastplate "Valiant Border Guard" * Myalikguly Berdymuhamedov Medal


* Uniforms *

Military uniforms are sewn in the following factories of the Ministry of Textile Industry on the orders of the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan: ''Italic text'' * Ruhabat Textile Complex * Geokdepe Textile Complex * Turkmenbashi Textile Complex * Ahal Sewing Production Association * Bayramali Textile Complex * Turkmen-Kalkan Joint Venture The semi-woolen fabrics that are not produced in Turkmenistan are supplied through the Turkmendokma Foreign Trade Enterprise of the Ministry of Textile Industry.


Conscription

Service in the armed forces is required for all males under 27 years of age. Minister of Defence
Dangatar Kopekov Dangatar Abdyevich Kopekov ( tk, Dangatar Abdyeviç Köpekow; russian: Данатар Абдыевич Копеков) was a Turkmen general and the former Minister of Defense of Turkmenistan and the last Chairman of the Turkmen KGB. Early life ...
stated in 1992 that legislation was drafted to where draft dodgers would face "very severe measures, including criminal responsibility". Despite this, desertion is rampant, and was at a 20% rate in 1994. For many military units, it has often been accepted that commanders extort bribes for an early demobilization of conscripts. There have been reported cases of mistreatment of army conscripts on duty and
Hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...
.


Women in the National Army

Women under the age of 21 who have a secondary education and have volunteered for military service can qualify for higher educational studies at the military institute. In 2016, Senior Lieutenant Jahan Yazmuhammedova became the first female paratrooper in the Armed Forces, serving in the 152nd Independent Air Assault Battalion. A parade in 2019 was the first parade in which female siblings (Captains Shirin and Aknabat Velikurbanov) took part in the parade as part of the same contingent. The contingent in question was led by Major Nabat Nurgeldyeva, who was in her 16th parade.


References

*
CIA World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official print version is available ...
, 2003 edition.


Further reading


Rustam BURNASHEV, Irina CHERNYKH, TURKMENISTAN’S ARMED FORCES: PROBLEMS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS, "Central Asia and the Caucasus," 2003
Note that much of the information on ground forces deployments attributed to
Jane's Jane's Information Group, now styled Janes, is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane. History Jane's Informatio ...
is inaccurate; in particular, the designation '357' attributed to a division disappeared from the
357th Rifle Division 357th may refer to: * 357th Air & Missile Defense Detachment, brigade level Air Defense unit of the United States Army * 357th Airlift Squadron (357 AS), part of the 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama * 357th Fighter Group, air c ...
in March 1955. *Allison, Roy: ''Military Forces in the Soviet Successor States'', Adelphi Paper No. 280 (London: IISS, 1993). *Staar, Richard Felix: ''The new military in Russia: Ten myths that shape the image'', Naval Institute Press, 1996. {{DEFAULTSORT:Military of Turkmenistan Military of Turkmenistan Politics of Turkmenistan Political organizations based in Turkmenistan