Military of Uzbekistan 31861 221228865 2008-06-23T16:49:25Z 99.145.69.182 /* Air Forces */ {{Infobox National Military |country=Uzbekistan |name= |native_name= |image= |caption= |founded= |current_form= |branches=Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard |headquarters= <!-- Leadership --> |commander-in-chief= |commander-in-chief_title= |minister= |minister_title= |commander= |commander_title= <!-- Manpower --> |age= |conscription=18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months |manpower_data=2005 est. |manpower_age=18-49 |available=6,340,220 |available_f=6,432,072 |fit=4,609,621 |fit_f=5,383,233 |reaching=324,722 |reaching_f=317,062 |active= |ranked= |reserve= |deployed= <!-- Financial --> |amount= |percent_GDP=2 (2005 est.) <!-- Industrial --> |domestic_suppliers= |foreign_suppliers= |imports= |exports= <!-- Related aricles --> |history= |ranks= }} '''[[Uzbekistan]]''' possesses the largest military force in [[Central Asia]], with around 55,000 people in uniform.<ref>[[IISS]] Military Balance 2007, p.327</ref> According to the 1992 Law on Defense, Uzbekistan's military is for defensive purposes only. In terms of potential recruits, Uzbekistan has about 7 million males age 15-49. The Government of Uzbekistan spends about 3.7% of [[GDP]] on the military. [[Tashkent]], the capital of Uzbekistan, used to be the headquarters of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Turkestan Military District]] and on 20 February 1992, the new Ministry of Defence Affairs took over the offices which had been formerly occupied by the district headquarters staff.<ref>Richard Woff, 'Independence and the Uzbek Armed Forces,' Jane's Intelligence Review, December 1993, p.567</ref> On 2 July 1992 a Presidential Decree established a Ministry of Defence to supersede the Ministry of Defence Affairs. Over the succeeding years, Uzbekistan replaced [[Russians|Russian]] and [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] officers with ethnic Uzbeks and restructured the military to focus on targets like civil unrest, [[drug trafficking]], and [[Hizb-ut-Tahrir]].{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Uzbekistan and Russia signed a mutual defence pact in 2005, what will also result in closer military cooperation. This marked a stark contrast to a few years earlier, when the US appeared to be Uzbekistan's favoured foreign friend, and relations with Russia were cooler.<ref>[[BBC]], [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4467736.stm]</ref> ==Land Forces== The Army includes five military districts, four motor rifle brigades whose designations are not known,<ref>http://www8.brinkster.com/vad777/sng/uzbekistan.htm, accessed late September 2007</ref> the 34th (or the 37th) Motor Rifle Brigade at [[Andijan]]<ref>[http://www.press-service.uz/en/content.scm?contentId=8908 Press-service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan: Islam Karimov: no one can turn us from our chosen path<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, and the 17th Air Assault Brigade at [[Fergana]], the former [[VDV|Soviet Airborne Forces]]' 387th Airborne Training Regiment. ===Equipment=== ====MBT==== *[[T-62]] - 170 *[[T-64]] - 100 *[[T-72]] - 70 ====RECCE==== *[[BRDM-2]] - 13 ====AIFV / APC==== *[[BMP-2]] - 270 *[[BMD-1]] - 120 *[[BMD-2]] - 9 *[[BMP-1|BRM]] - 6 *[[BTR-60]] - 24 *[[BTR-70]] - 25 *[[BTR-80]] - 210 *[[BTR-D]] - 50 ====Artillery==== '''Towed''' *[[D-30]](122mm) - 60 *[[2A36]](152mm) - 140 '''Self Propelled''' *[[2S1]](122mm) - 18 *[[2S3/5]](152mm) - 17 *[[2S7]](203mm) - 48 '''Multiple launch Rocket System''' *[[BM-21]] - 36 *[[9P138]] - 24 *[[9P1401]] - 48 ==Air Forces== The Uzbek air forces consist of units formerly part of the 49th Air Army of the [[Turkestan Military District]] headquartered at [[Tashkent]]. There are two remaining combat units, brigades at [[Karshi-Khanabad]] and Dzhizak.<ref>Brinkster.com</ref> The 60th Separate Brigade is the former 735th Bomber Aviation Regiment combined with the former 87th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment. It has 31 Su-24s, 32 MiG-29s (which are apparently in store) and 6 Su-27s. Other recently disbanded units include the 61st Fighter Aviation Regiment at Kokand, which was itself a merger with the previous 115th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and the 62nd Fighter Aviation Regiment at [[Andijan]]. Regiments at both bases were disbanded in 1999. Apparently a total of 26 stored Su-17s, in very bad condition, may remain at Chirchiq. *25 [[Su-27]] *31 [[Su-24]] (Stored) *32 [[Mig-29]] (Stored) *26 [[Su-17]] (Stored) ===List of units=== *60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade ([[Karshi-Khanabad]])(60 бап), Su-24/Su-24MR, Su-27- (31 Su-24, 32 MiG-29, 6 Su-27, 1200 чел.) *Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade, [[Dzhizak]], Su-25 - (Su-25, L-39, Mi-8, Mi-24) *Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment, [[Fergana]], Аn-12, 12РР, 26, 26РР *Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron, [[Tashkent]], Аn-24, Тu-134 *65 овп, Каган, Бухарская, Mi-6,8- по MB-2002- 28 Mi-6, 29 Mi-8- б.396 овп ЮГВ *66th Separate Helicopter Regiment, [[Chirchiq]], Mi-8/24/26 helicopters. The [[IISS]] Military Balance 2002 listed Uzbekistan with 42 Mi-24, 29 Mi-8,1 Mi-26 *12th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade *Radio-Technical Brigade ==Activities and foreign relations== After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], the [[United States]] leased the [[Karshi-Khanabad]] airbase in southern Uzbekistan, which borders [[Afghanistan]]. The American base there was called "Camp Stronghold Freedom". In September 2004, the (then) [[Royal Welsh Regiment]] (now 3rd Bn [[The Royal Welsh]]) of the [[British Army]] participated with the Uzbek Army Peacekeeping Battalion in "Exercise Timurlane Express" in the Farish Mountain Training Area. This was a 3-week [[NATO]] sponsored [[Partnership for Peace]] training exercise. In May 2005, the military was involved in suppressing unrest in the [[Ferghana Valley]] city of [[Andijan]]. (See [[May 2005 unrest in Uzbekistan]] for more details.) The same year the EU banned arms sales and imposed a one-year visa ban on 12 senior officials, including the security chief and interior and defence ministers, accusing them of bearing responsibility for Andijan violence. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1295881.stm] A joint statement of the member countries of the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization|Shanghai Co-operation Organisation]] issued in early July, 2005 on a conference in [[Astana]] ([[Kazakstan]]) called for a withdrawal of US troops from military bases in Central Asia. On July 29, 2005, Uzbekistan invoked a provision asking the U.S. to leave within 180 days. On November 21, 2005, the withdrawal of US troops from Uzbekistan was completed. ===Arms control and non-proliferation=== The government has accepted the arms control obligations of the former [[Soviet Union]], acceded to the nuclear [[Non-Proliferation Treaty]] (as a non-nuclear state), and has supported an active program by the [[U.S.]] [[Defense Threat Reduction Agency]] (DTRA) in western Uzbekistan (Nukus and [[Vozrozhdeniye Island]]). ==External links and sources== <references/> * [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uz.html CIA World Factbook page on Uzbekistan] * [http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5429874,00.html US Completes Withdrawal From Uzbek Base] * [http://www.xairforces.net/airforces.asp?id=44 X Air Forces: Uzbekistan Air Force ] [[Category:Military of Uzbekistan| ]] [[Category:Conscript militaries|Uzbekistan]] [[de:Usbekische Streitkräfte]] [[he:צבא אוזבקיסטן]] [[hu:Üzbegisztán hadereje]] {{Asia in topic|Military of}}