Military unit
The
Turkmen Ground Forces
(
Turkmen
:
Turkmenistany? gury yer guycleri
) is the army branch of the
Armed Forces of Turkmenistan
. The ground forces include the
2nd
, 3rd,
11th
, and
22nd
Motor Rifle
Divisions
as well as smaller units consisting of various types of troops.
History
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The basis of the present-day Turkmen Ground Forces are several rifle divisions from the
Turkestan Military District
(based in neighboring
Uzbekistan
) of the
Soviet Armed Forces
. Of these units, the 36th Army Corps was stationed in the
Turkmen SSR
.
More than 50,000 former
Soviet Army
personnel were either withdrawn or fired following the creation of the national defence ministry. This was more than half the Soviet troops who operated in the
Turkmen SSR
at the end of 1991. The interim army commanders in the first half of the 1990s included Major General Viktor Zavarzin and Lieutenant General
Nikolai Kormiltsev
(chief of staff and commander of the Separate Combined-Arms Army of Turkmenistan respectively). By 1993, the ground forces operated 200 military units, 70 of which were under joint Turkmen-Russian jurisdictions. The ground forces had been reduced to about 11,000 by 1996, which was organized into a singular army corps.
[2]
The army has celebrated 27 January as
Defender of the Fatherland Day
since 2009.
[3]
Structure
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Units of the Ground Forces are located in each of the five military districts:
[4]
[5]
Ahal
Military District,
Balkan
Military District,
Dashoguz
Military District,
Lebap
Military District,
Mary
Military District. Direct operational control of the ground forces is carried out by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan.
In late 2017, the
International Institute for Strategic Studies
listed the Ground Forces with a special forces regiment; a tank brigade, reportedly the 14th; the 3rd Motor Rifle Division, of a tank regiment, three motor rifle regiments, and an artillery regiment; the
22nd Motor Rifle Division "Atamyrat Niyazov"
with one tank regiment, one motor rifle regiment, and an artillery regiment; four motor rifle brigades; a naval infantry brigade, and the
2nd Training Motor Rifle Division "Alp Arslan"
.
[6]
The IISS also listed smaller formations: a Scud brigade with
SS-1 Scud
; an artillery brigade; a mixed artillery/anti-tank regiment; a
multiple rocket launcher
brigade; an anti-tank regiment; an engineer regiment; and two
surface-to-air missile
brigades.
An undated list of Ground Forces units included the following:
[7]
[8]
[5]
Facilities
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Equipment
[
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Commanders
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Traditions
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Battle Banners
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To receive a battle banner, commanders of military units approach the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, receiving the battle banner from his hands and handing it over to the standard bearer. Then, having unfurled the green battle banners, groups of standard-bearers led by their commanders, chasing a step, pass in front of the line of participants in the current ceremony and take their places.
[22]
It occurs on holidays such as
State Flag and Constitution Day
.
[23]
Cavalry
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In October 2012, special cavalry units were ordered to be established in the ground forces.
[24]
That same year, the Equestrian Complex of the Ministry of Defense was opened.
[25]
Ranks
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In 2003, President Niyazov called for the strengthening of the Ground Forces in accordance with national traditions. Speaking at the Defence Ministry, he said that the Turkmen "esger" (warrior) carries more respect that just “soldier”.
[26]
As a result, he reverted the ranks to traditional names and structure:
- Esger - warrior
- Onbashi - leader of 10 (section leader)
- Yuzbashi - leader of 100 (junior officer)
- Munbashi - leader of 1000 (senior officer)
- Goshunbashi - Army commander
The rank of a marshal was also reintroduced.
[27]
These ranks were all reverted to their more
russified
predecessors after his death in 2006.
Personnel
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]
Conscripts
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Service in the army is required for all males under 27 years of age.
[28]
Only some of the conscript's time in the military is occupied with military service, the rest being occupied with "labour" (half a day) and "self-improvement" (2?3 hours a day) by reciting traditional Turkoman texts, learning songs and playing music.
[27]
Minister of Defence
Dangatar Kopekov
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.
[29]
In August 2020, a Turkmen court sentenced
Jehovah's Witness
siblings to two years in prison for conscientious objection to military service.
[30]
See also
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References
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