| Military of Tajikistan |
|
|---|---|
| Service branches | Ground Troops, Air and Air Defense Troops, Mobile Troops |
| Manpower | |
| Conscription | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years |
| Available for military service |
1,556,415 males, age 15–49 (2005 est.), 1,568,780 females, age 15–49 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service |
1,244,941 males, age 15–49 (2005 est.), 1,297,891 females, age 15–49 (2005 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually |
87,846 males (2005 est.), 85,869 females (2005 est.) |
| Expenditures | |
| Percent of GDP | 3.9 (2005 est.) |
Tajikistan's armed forces consist of Land Forces, Mobile Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Presidential National Guard, and Security Forces (internal and border troops). There are also significant Russian forces in the country principally the 201st Motor Rifle Division.
Unlike the other former Soviet states of Central Asia, Tajikistan did not form armed forces based upon former Soviet units on its territory. Instead, the Russian Ministry of Defence took control of the Dushanbe-based 201st Motor Rifle Division; actually control simply shifted from the former district headquarters in Tashkent, which was in now-independent Uzbekistan, to Moscow. Also present in the country was a large contingent of Soviet border guards, which transitioned into a Russian-officered force with Tajik conscripts. For a long period a CIS peacekeeping force, built around the 201st MRD, was in place in the country.
Due to the presence of Russian forces in the country and the Civil war in Tajikistan, Tajikistan only formally legalised the existence of its armed forces in April 1994.[1]
The armed forces were during the 1990s often poorly commanded, mostly badly disciplined, and with their equipment under-maintained. Draft-dodging and desertion was commonplace. Reflecting the fragmented militia group origin of the army’s units, in late 1995 the Mahmud (1st) and Faizali (11th) Brigades of the Army exchanged fire several times, and fighting again broke out between the Army Rapid Reaction Brigade (formerly the Mahmud Brigade) and the Presidential Guard in June 1996. Colonel Khudoiberdiev, commander of the Rapid Reaction Brigade was relieved of his command as a result.
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Because of the civil war, air force development was slow. The first equipment to arrive was 10 MI-8MTBs and 5 MI-24 in 1993 based at Dushanbe. The first transport aircraft were AN-24s(?) and AN-26s(?) were supplied in 1996. A plan from the 1990s to acquire SU-25s from Belarus to form an attack squadron did not occur. The Tajik Air Force remains small as Dushanbe doesn't expect an attack on the nation from the air and that Russian Air Force units at Gissar in Tajikistan and other such Russian contingents in Kazakhstan would deter any such assault. The country is also patrolled by Russian aircraft as part of the Joint CIS Air Defense System. However, Moscow did help bolster the Tajik's helicopter contingents in 2006-07 by giving them six Mil Mi-8 and Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters. It also provided four L-39 Albatros.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[4] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mil Mi-24 Hind | Soviet Union | attack | Mi-24 | 4 | 8 in storage |
| Mil Mi-8 Hip | Soviet Union | transport | Mi-8 | 14 | |
| Tupolev Tu-134 Crusty | Soviet Union | VIP | Tu-134A | 1 | |
| L-29 Delfin | Czechoslovakia | trainer | L-29 | unknown | |
| L-39 Albatros | Czechoslovakia | trainer | L-39C | 4 | former Russian[5] |
This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2007 edition".