History of the Creation of the Republic of Kazakhstan's Airmobile ...

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After eliminating a whole battalion from the brigades, in 1993 they started on the battalionsthemselves. By fall 1994 all that was left of three airborne assault companies in the battalions wereone full-strength company, a second that was reduced to a platoon, and a third that was reduced to amaintenance group (drivers). Together with the fully staffed headquarters company and fire supportcompany, the battalions ended up having just three companies and one platoon instead of the TOrequirement of five companies and a mortar battery.The artillery battalions ended up in the same neutered situation. Only one firing battery and acommand and control battery were fully staffed. {In the Soviet system, an artillery battalion had astandard complement of approximately 18 guns.}With the 1998 reappearance of mortar batteries in battalions (four 82-mm mortar and three SPG-9crews in each) and with their fire power deemed sufficient, the fire support companies weredisbanded. PKMs from the machine gun platoon, antitank guided missiles from the antitank platoon,and AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers from the grenade-launcher platoon were distributedamong the combat companies. The antiaircraft missile platoon’s weapons went to the antiaircraftmissile artillery battery (ZRAB).In 1998 the 35th Brigade created a heavy machine gun company (RTP), which is equipped with sixNSB-12.7 heavy machine guns. The largest company in the brigade is the logistics support company(“company of the well supported” in military lingo), whose staff as of 1996 included 110 officers,warrant officers and soldiers. The smallest company is the paratrooper logistics company (“wildmonkey company” in military lingo) [in Russian the acronyms for both are the same (RDO)—Trans.] – 12 soldiers and roughly the same number of officers, warrant officers and contractsoldiers.Prior to fall of last year (2007) extra-agency security forces (EASF) existed in the table oforganization of all brigades. {Likely a reference to the practice of placing small KGB elements, ortheir successor organizations in post-Soviet states, into TOEs of regimental-/brigade-sized units andabove, a common practice in post Soviet armies.} These were size of two squads, all contractsoldiers, a third of them women. They guarded the brigades’ military facilities, thereby releasingcombat units from guard duty for more thorough combat training. Prior to that they did away withmess duty by hiring civilian firms. However, the current Defense Minister has correctly decided thathis predecessor was not quite right, and considers that guard duty is also basically a type of combattraining that fosters responsibility in servicemen and imparts the habits of vigilance and endurancenecessary in war. His decision eliminated the EASF and returned guard duty to the combat units. Bysummer 2007 1st AABat and 2nd AABat were fully manned in the 35th Brigade with aheadquarters company plus three airborne assault companies plus mortar battery TO. 3rd AABat hasbeen half-manned. The artillery division and all other special units (chemical protection company,maintenance company, material support company, antiaircraft missile artillery battery, engineercompany, etc.) have been fully manned.16
Mountain training- Scouts in the Talgar mountain pass – 3,200 m.The 37th Taldy-Kurgan Brigade has a different structure. All three of its battalions, artillerybattalion and special units have been fully manned. All battalions have BMP-1 APCs and allpersonnel are contract soldiers, which is why the battalion mortar batteries have a more respectablesix 120 mm mortar crews. The 37th Brigade’s headquarters companies do not have a reconnaissanceplatoon, the rationale being that, if need be, it will be easy for a battalion of professional contractsoldiers to detail a trained reconnaissance group from any combat company.The 36th Astana Brigade has much the same structure and is also made up of contract soldiers. Thedifference lies in the battalions’ materiel – the 36 th is all BTR-80As, the aforementioned Land RoverDefenders and BMP-2s.The Airmobile Forces 38th Almaty SMRB is just a “Soviet-style motorized regiment.” Twomotorized rifle battalions – one with BMP-2s and the other with BTR-80s, a tank battalion with T-72s, an artillery division with Gvozdika SAU 2S1 self-propelled guns, a ZRAB with Shilkas, etc.In spring 1994 the Manning Document of the 35th Brigade’s AABat called for 447 soldiers, but thatnumber is now 369. For the 37th Brigade it is 318.Unlike the Soviet Army, where the battalion-regiment-brigade TO was spelled out in DefenseMinistry instructions for the five-year plan after five-year plan, this is more flexible in the KazakhAirmobile Forces. In coordination with Airmobile Forces command and control, the brigadecommander himself draws up the optimal TO based on time and capability. Various options areconsidered and experience is being gained.In point of fact, as of now no Kazakh Airmobile Forces brigade matches its name – they shouldrather be called separate regiments. However, as Defense Minister Danial Akhmetov said in January17
Page 1 and 2: FMSO Commentary. The following 2008
Page 3 and 4: First, these were Soviet-era drafte
Page 5 and 6: center. Not just discipline, but al
Page 7 and 8: numbers in the Airmobile Forces are
Page 9 and 10: The commanders engaged in their own
Page 11 and 12: For a long time the 35th Brigade wa
Page 13: At the time this was indeed a more
Page 18 and 19: 2008, “the number and strength of
Page 20: The second such exercise was the 1s

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