Turkmen Ground Forces
Türkmenistanyň gury ýer güýçleri / Түркменстаның гуры ер гүйчлери
Turkmen infantry
Founded	1992
Country	Turkmenistan
Type	Army
Role	Ground warfare
Size	33,000 troops
Part of	Armed Forces of Turkmenistan
Headquarters	Ashgabat
Colors	Green
Anniversaries	27 January
Commanders
Supreme Commander-in-chief	Serdar Berdimuhamedow
Commander of the Ground Forces	Colonel Rovshen Ayazov
Insignia
Flag

An armored vehicle during a parade in 2011

The Turkmen Ground Forces (Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň gury ýer güýçleri) 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

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the 36th Army Corps was stationed in the Turkmen SSR.^[1] More than 50,000 former Soviet Army personnel were either withdrawn or fired following the creation of the national defence ministry.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

Anti-aircraft units

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]

• 2nd Training Motor Rifle Division "Alp Arslan" (Headquarters Tejen in the Ahal Region)^[5]
  • 1 Tank Regiment
  • 1 Motorized Rifle Regiment
  • 1 Artillery Regiment
• 3rd Motorized Rifle Division named Bairam Khan (Headquarters Ashgabat)^[9][5]
  • 1 Tank Regiment
  • 3 Motorized Rifle Regiments
  • 1 Artillery Regiment
• 11th Motor Rifle Division "Sultan Sanjar" (Headquarters Serhetabat, Mary Region)^[5]
  • 1 Tank Regiment
  • 1 (23rd) Motorized Rifle Regiment
  • 1 Artillery Regiment
• 22nd Motorized Rifle Division named after Hero of Turkmenistan Atamyrat Niyazov (Headquarters Serdar, Balkan Region)^{[10][11][12][5]}
  • 1 Tank Regiment
  • 1 Motorized Rifle Regiment
  • 1 Artillery Regiment
• 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade named after Tughril (deployed in the city of Kerki, Lebap Region)^[5]
• 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade named after Chaghri Beg^[5]
• 6th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade named after Gorogly Beg^[5]
• 152nd Independent Air Assault Battalion^[5]
• Artillery Brigade (deployed near Ashgabat)^[5]
• Independent Anti-Tank Regiment^[5]
• Independent Mixed Artillery Anti-Tank Regiment^[5]
• Rocket-propelled Artillery Team (deployed near Ashgabat)^[5]
• Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade named after Saparmurat Niyazov^[5]
• Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade^[5]
• Independent Engineer Regiment (deployed near Ashgabat)^[5]
• Independent Honor Guard Battalion of the Ministry of Defence (deployed in Ashgabat)^[5]

Turkmen Captain Ali Tuvakklychev with his Azeri counterpart during the exercise Combined Endeavor 2007 in Germany.

Facilities

• Kelyata Training Center (Bäherden District of the Ahal Region)
• Northern Kelete Training Ground (near the village of Kelete)^[13]
• Mountain Training Center "South Kelyata" (near Ashgabat)^[14]

Equipment

Commanders

• Geldymukhammed Ashirmukhammedov (1997-2002)^[15]
• Colonel Mashat Orazgeldyev (2002-24 June 2004)^[16]
• Colonel Bayramgeldy Akummedov (23 June 2007 – 5 November 2009)^[17]
• Lieutenant Colonel Batyr Mollayev (5 November 2009-?)^[18][19]
• Colonel Rovshen Ayazov^[20][21] (c. 2017)

Traditions

Cavalry

Mounted army cavalry in Ashgabat.

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]

Personnel

See also

• Armed Forces of Turkmenistan
• Turkmen Naval Forces
• Turkmen Air Force
• Begench Beknazarov

References