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| In May ], the military was involved in suppressing unrest in the ] city of ]. See ] for more detail. | In May ], the military was involved in suppressing unrest in the ] city of ]. See ] for more detail. | ||
| After ], the ] leased the ] in southern Uzbekistan, which borders ]. Uzbekistan |
After ], the ] leased the ] in southern Uzbekistan, which borders ]. On ], ], Uzbekistan invoked a provision asking the U.S. to leave within 180 days. The provision came after relations were strained by the Uzbek crackdown in May. | ||
| The government has accepted the arms control obligations of the former ], acceded to the nuclear ] (as a non-nuclear state), and has supported an active program by the ] ] (DTRA) in western Uzbekistan (Nukus and Vozrozhdeniye Island). | The government has accepted the arms control obligations of the former ], acceded to the nuclear ] (as a non-nuclear state), and has supported an active program by the ] ] (DTRA) in western Uzbekistan (Nukus and Vozrozhdeniye Island). | ||
Revision as of 21:45, 27 September 2005
Uzbekistan possesses the largest military force in Central Asia, with around 65,000 people in uniform.
Structure and Cost
Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, used to be the headquarters of the Soviet Military District of Turkestan, and when the country became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, it inherited that organization. Over the succeeding years, it replaced the Russian and Slavic officers with ethnic Uzbeks and restructured the military to focus on targets like civil unrest, drug trafficking, and Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
The Government of Uzbekistan spends about 3.7% of GDP on the military, which is divided into the Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Security Forces (internal and border troops), and National Guard. 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.
Activities and Foreign Relations
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 detail.
After September 11, 2001, the United States leased the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in southern Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan. On July 29, 2005, Uzbekistan invoked a provision asking the U.S. to leave within 180 days. The provision came after relations were strained by the Uzbek crackdown in May.
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).