Editing Armed Forces of Turkmenistan (section)

==History==

=== Beginnings ===
After the fall of the [[Soviet Union]], significant elements of the [[Soviet Armed Forces]] [[Turkestan Military District]] remained on Turkmen soil, including several motor rifle divisions.  From V.I. Feskov et al. 2013 and Michael Holm's data, it appears that the three divisions were the 58th, 88th, and 209th District Training Centre (former 61 Training MRD) at Ashkhabad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=36th Army Corps |url=http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/corps/36ak.htm |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=www.ww2.dk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Turkestan Military District |url=http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/gkv/turkvo.htm |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=www.ww2.dk}}</ref> In June 1992, the new [[Russia]]n government signed a bilateral defense treaty with [[Turkmenistan]], encouraging the new Turkmen government to create its own armed forces but stipulating that they were to be placed under joint command.<ref>Stephen Foye, 'Russian-Turkmen Defense Accord,' [[RFE/RL]] Daily Report, no. 109, (10 June 1992), p.1, via [[Janne E. Nolan]] (ed.), Global Engagement, Brookings, Washington D.C., 1994, p. 369.</ref>

The United States [[Library of Congress Country Studies]] said that 'the Treaty on Joint Measures signed by Russia and Turkmenistan in July 1992 provided for the Russian Federation to act as guarantor of Turkmenistan's security and made former Soviet army units in the republic the basis of the new national armed forces. The treaty stipulated that, apart from border troops and air force and air defense units remaining under Russian control, the entire armed forces would be under joint command, which would gradually devolve to exclusive command by Turkmenistan over a period of ten years. For a transitional period of five years, Russia would provide logistical support and pay Turkmenistan for the right to maintain special installations, while Turkmenistan would bear the costs of housing, utilities, and administration.'

The [[Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies]]'s ''Moscow Defence Brief'' said that in 1992–93 Turkmenistan attempted to create a small national armed force based on the former [[52nd Army (Soviet Union)|Soviet 52nd Army]], which was located in the country and depended on support from Russia. Of the 300 formations and units, numbering 110,000 people, 200 were transferred to the command of Turkmenistan, 70 remained under Russia's jurisdiction, and 30 were either withdrawn or demobilized.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colonel Oleg BELOSLUDTSEV, Candidate of Historical Sciences, and Colonel Alexander GRIBOVSKY, Russia's Military-Political Relations with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies |url=http://mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2002/at/rmpr/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325110126/http://mdb.cast.ru/mdb/3-2002/at/rmpr/ |archive-date=25 March 2018 |access-date=16 March 2023 |website=mdb.cast.ru}}</ref>''

In 1994, the chief of staff and first deputy minister of defense was Major General [[Annamurat Soltanov]], a career officer who had served in [[Cuba]] and Afghanistan; another deputy minister of defense, Major General [[Begdzhan Niyazov]], had been a law enforcement administrator prior to his appointment. Russian commanders included Major General [[Viktor Zavarzin]], chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Separate Combined-Arms Army of Turkmenistan, and commander of the Separate Combined-Arms Army of Turkmenistan and deputy minister of defense Lieutenant General [[Nikolai Kormiltsev]]. Russian Major General [[Vladislav Shunevich]] served together with Turkmen Major General [[Akmurad Kabulov]] as joint commanders of the border troops in the Turkmen Border Guard. Under a 1993 bilateral military cooperation treaty, some 2,000 Russian officers served in Turkmenistan on contract, and border forces (about 5,000 in 1995) are under joint Russian and Turkmenistani command. Altogether, about 11,000 Russian troops remained in Turkmenistan in mid-1996.'<ref>Glenn E. Curtis (ed.), Russia: A Country study, [[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]], research completed July 1996 (Chapter 9)</ref>

=== Military policy of Niyazov ===
Turkmenistan's military is considered to be the most neutral of all former republics of the [[Soviet Union]]. The country's military did not sign the [[Collective Security Treaty Organization|Tashkent Treaty]] in May 1992,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eurasianet.org/russia-frustrated-by-refusal-of-uzbekistan-turkmenistan-to-cooperate-on-security|title=Russia Frustrated by Refusal of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan to Cooperate on Security &#124; Eurasianet|access-date=28 December 2020|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203131109/https://eurasianet.org/russia-frustrated-by-refusal-of-uzbekistan-turkmenistan-to-cooperate-on-security|url-status=live}}</ref> becoming an observer in the [[Council of Ministers of Defense of the CIS]]. Turkmenistan's first military doctrine was adopted in 1994 enforcing this.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jamestown.org/program/turkmen-leader-plans-to-adopt-new-military-doctrine/|title=Turkmen Leader Plans to Adopt New Military Doctrine|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203131131/https://jamestown.org/program/turkmen-leader-plans-to-adopt-new-military-doctrine/|url-status=live}}</ref> The neutral policy of Turkmenistan was also emphasized in relation to the [[Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)|1996 Afghan War]], maintaining an even relationship with both the [[Taliban]] and the [[Afghan Government|Afghan government]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-afghanistan-neutrality-policy-punctured/27815538.html|title=Neutral Turkmenistan Chooses A Side In Afghan Conflict|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=23 June 2016 |access-date=28 December 2020|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203131136/https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-afghanistan-neutrality-policy-punctured/27815538.html|url-status=live|last1=Pannier |first1=Bruce }}</ref> Following the [[September 11 terrorist attacks]], coalition troops did not appear on Turkmen territory. President Niyazov refused to provide the [[German government]] with a base to store German aircraft, arguing that the country intends to continue to follow the principles of neutrality. 

In 2002, a "[[labor army]]" was created by Niyazov's orders which saw the creation of specialized labor military units. Soldiers in these units began to be sent from military units to enterprises, construction sites and hospitals as cheap labor, being removed from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Welle (www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche|title=Туркменские солдаты хотят в "дубайские роты" {{!}} DW {{!}} 04.02.2010|url=https://www.dw.com/ru/%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B-%D1%85%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%8F%D1%82-%D0%B2-%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%8B/a-5215423|access-date=2020-08-01|website=Deutsche Welle|language=ru|archive-date=20 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120145014/https://www.dw.com/ru/%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B-%D1%85%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%8F%D1%82-%D0%B2-%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%8B/a-5215423|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title="LABOUR ARMY" IN THE ALARMING TIME OF THE NEWS {{!}} Turkmenistan.ru|url=http://www.turkmenistan.ru/en/node/3604|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002173819/http://www.turkmenistan.ru/en/node/3604|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 October 2021|access-date=2020-12-28|website=turkmenistan.ru}}</ref>

=== Since 2006 ===
[[Jane's Information Group]] said in 2009 that "Turkmenistan's military is, even by the standards of Central Asia, poorly maintained and funded."<ref>Josh Kucera, 'Centre of Attention: Central Asia,' [[Jane's Defence Weekly]], 14 October 2009</ref>

Weeks after he was inaugurated for a first term, President [[Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov]] announced his decision to endorse the country's second military doctrine, officially declaring neutrality and stating that the border with [[Afghanistan]] will be a national security priority. In 2016, a new military doctrine was adopted by Berdimuhamedov.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tdh.gov.tm/news/en/articles.aspx%26article16444%26cat30 |title=Archived copy |access-date=27 February 2022 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923104142/http://tdh.gov.tm/news/en/articles.aspx%26article16444%26cat30 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In November 2018, President Berdimuhamedov reiterated this at a session of the State Security Council.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://menafn.com/1097652078/President-Turkmen-military-doctrine-is-of-defensive-nature|title=President: Turkmen military doctrine is of defensive nature &#124; MENAFN.COM|website=menafn.com|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=4 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004191957/https://menafn.com/1097652078/President-Turkmen-military-doctrine-is-of-defensive-nature|url-status=live}}</ref>