On February 23, 1993, military units formed from the Popular Front just a few days before this date marched through Dushanbe in a solemn march. Therefore, it is generally accepted in the republic that this particular event marked the moment of the birth of the army of the Republic of Tajikistan.
History of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan
Despite the fact that the birthday of the Tajik army is considered to be February 23, it was legally formed in April 1994, and its formation was accompanied by quite serious difficulties.
The fact is that after the collapse of the USSR, Tajikistan, unlike other former Soviet republics, did not get anything from the Soviet army, since practically no military units were stationed on its territory. True, the 201st Gatchina motorized rifle division was stationed there, but under an agreement with the government of the republic, it was not withdrawn to Russia, but remained in Dushanbe, only it was reassigned directly to Moscow. For a long time, CIS peacekeeping forces were stationed in Tajikistan.
The Time of Troubles of the nineties did not pass by Tajikistan. The Civil War began there, and the hastily formed armed forces in the country looked more like illegal separate groups equipped with weapons than like a regular army. The desertion of military personnel has become commonplace, and the conscription into the Tajik army was simply ignored by the majority of young people.
After the end of the war, which claimed up to 150 thousand human lives, things slowly improved, largely thanks to the material and military assistance of the Russian Federation. The army of Tajikistan has turned into a weak, but quite combat-ready armed formation.
The place of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan among other armies of the world
According to the Global Military Power Index for 2017, which evaluated 133 countries of the world, the army of Tajikistan took 112th place, falling between Cameroon (111th place) and Slovenia (113th). As for other Central Asian countries that were previously part of the USSR, Uzbekistan took 48th place, Kazakhstan - 53rd, Kyrgyzstan - 109th.
It should be noted that this index (Global Firepower Index) considers about 50 factors that take into account the number of persons currently suitable for military service, the amount of money spent on its maintenance and equipment, military power by type existing armed forces and much more. Up to the point that even indicators on the turnover of petroleum products and the geographical position of the state are taken into account.
Military Doctrine of Tajikistan
3 October 2005d. the country's parliament (majlis oli) adopted a military doctrine, which, perhaps, largely determined the future path of the formation of the army of Tajikistan.
It states that the republic does not consider any of the states of the world to be its enemy, and also does not have any territorial claims against anyone. Thus, it is established that the military doctrine is completely defensive in nature and, in the event of external threats, relies on the CSTO (“Tashkent Treaty”).
Structure and strength of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan
The Armed Forces of Tajikistan include ground and mobile troops, air force and air defense forces.
The ground forces of the republic consist of two motorized rifle and one artillery brigade. They number about 7-10 thousand military personnel.
Mobile troops, which were created in 2003, are the most combat-ready and include an air assault brigade and one separate motorized rifle brigade (formally belong to the ground forces). Three battalions from the mobile troops are part of the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the CSTO.
Air Force of 1.5 thousand people and air defense are currently combined into a single structure, which consists of a helicopter squadron, a radio engineering battalion and one anti-aircraft missile regiment.
In addition, the border troops (1.5 thousand people) and units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (3.8 thousand people) are among the military formations that are not part of the forces and means of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic.
It should be noted that data onthe size of the army of Tajikistan are approximate, since this information is classified, the Ministry of Defense of the republic is not disclosed. In this regard, the US CIA in the rating of military power sets the number of military personnel in the Armed Forces of the republic no more than 6 thousand people.
Armament and equipment
The army of Tajikistan can hardly be called modern. Basically, it consists of equipment produced back in the USSR. Of the armored vehicles at the disposal of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic are:
- 37 tanks, of which 30 are T-72s, the rest are T-62s;
- infantry fighting vehicles - 23 units (BMP-1 - 8, BMP-2 - 15);
- 23 armored personnel carriers (APC - 60/70/80).
Artillery has:
- ten D-30 122mm howitzers;
- three Grad rocket systems (BM-21);
- ten 120mm PM-38 mortars.
The Air Force has one TU-134A, 12 Mi-24 helicopters, eleven Mi-8 and Mi-17 transport helicopters (previously there were 12, but in 2010 one machine crashed). It is believed that Tajikistan does not have combat aircraft, but two T-95 strategic bombers and three L-39 (combat training vehicles) participated in a military parade in 2011. True, it is not known for sure whether they belong to the Air Force of the republic or were rented from Russia.
The air defense is armed with twenty S-75 Dvina self-propelled air defense systems, seventeen S-125 Pechora, in addition, there is an unspecified number of domestic Strela-2 MANPADS and American FIM-92.
Weapons are rather outdated, but in 2017 the Russian Defense Ministry decided to supplyTajikistan aircraft, new weapons and ammunition. Thus, the distant line of defense should be strengthened, preventing the spread of terrorism in the Central Asian countries.
How many serve in the army of Tajikistan?
The order of service in the army is regulated by the law "On universal military duty and military service." But with its observance in the republic, serious difficulties are observed: young people of military age are trying to evade service. In many ways, this is facilitated by the corruption that flourishes among the employees of the Ministry of Defense.
The law mentioned above determines that young people are drafted into the Tajik army at the age of 18-27. They will serve the motherland for 24 months. For university graduates, the term of service is 1 year.
By the way, every year about 79 thousand people reach the right age for military service, but only 7-9 thousand young people manage to become soldiers.
Contractors
Until now, a rather difficult internal political situation remains in Tajikistan. In September 2015, opposition forces led by the former deputy of the Ministry of Defense of the republic, Abuhalim Nazarzoda, organized an armed rebellion, the purpose of which was to overthrow the incumbent President Emomali Rahmon, who has been in power since 1994.
Tensioned relations with opposition forces forced the government back in 2000 to completely abolish military contract service in Tajikistan. Since it could createcertain risks for the current government, if these military personnel do not accept the existing regime, and the opportunity to influence the political views of colleagues. In this regard, the Republican Armed Forces practically lack the institution of professional sergeants.
Training officers
Two educational institutions are engaged in the training of future officers in Tajikistan: the Military Institute and the lyceum from the Ministry of Defense. However, the level of education in them leaves much to be desired, therefore, in general, the command staff is trained in educational institutions in Russia, Kazakhstan, China and India. In addition, on the territory of the republic, not far from Dushanbe, there is a training center for the US Armed Forces, where officers of the Tajik army can also receive additional training.
Material support of the army
Material, as well as sanitary provision of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan is at a very low level. Often, conscripts are forced to live in barrack-type barracks, which do not even have heating. Food is not supplied in sufficient quantities, which is why theft is rampant in the army.
Military uniforms, in most cases still of the Soviet type, are issued once for the entire period of service. The soldier must purchase the second and subsequent sets at his own expense.
Main Stability Factor
The main factor in ensuring stability in Tajikistan is the aforementioned 201st base of the Russian Defense Ministry.
In 2013, an agreement was reached between the two countries that the military of the Russian Federation would remain on the territory of the republic until 2042. Thus, Russia provided itself with good protection near the border with Afghanistan, and Tajikistan received a serious discount on the purchase of modern weapons, as well as the right to train military specialists in educational institutions of the RF Ministry of Defense.
The base units are located in three cities of the republic: Kurgan-Tyube, Kulyab and in Dushanbe itself. They include tank, motorized rifle units, engineering and communications units, a sniper company, an anti-aircraft missile battalion, and a battalion of self-propelled ART installations. In addition, the city of Nurek has a space control system subordinate to the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Possible prospects
Maintaining peace in the Republic of Tajikistan is an important task for Russia, since the unstable situation near the borders of the Russian Federation is a direct threat to the national security of the country. In this regard, the renewal of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan, increasing their combat readiness and ability to withstand possible threats from Afghanistan in the form of Islamist terrorist groups is considered one of the priority issues for Moscow. Therefore, Russia plans to invest about 200 million US dollars in the Tajik army. The modernization should take place in three stages and be completed by 2025.
It should be noted that the current government of the country is especially interested in strengthening the Republican Armed Forces, since in addition to problems with Afghanistan, inIn the republic, internal political issues related to the opposition and radical Islamists remain unresolved. This situation encourages Dushanbe to actively cooperate with Russia, as well as the CSTO member countries.
Today, the army of Tajikistan is simply unable to cope on its own with a serious threat. Therefore, the 201st RMB remains the main outpost of the Russian Federation throughout Central Asia, and is also the guarantor of peace and the main defender of the sovereignty and independence of the republic.
