Kazakh Naval Forces
The Kazakh Naval Forces (Kazakh: Қазақстан Әскери-теңіз күштері, Qazaqstan Äskeri-teñız küşterı; Russian: Военно-морские силы Казахстана) is the naval force responsible for coastal defense, naval special warfare, and naval warfare branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The navy mainly operates on the Caspian Sea and is currently based in the coastal city of Aktau.
Kazakh Naval Forces
2 April 1993
Aerial reconnaissance
Aerial warfare
Air assault
Air-sea rescue
Airstrike
Amphibious reconnaissance
Amphibious warfare
Anti-aircraft warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-tank warfare
Artillery observer
Bomb disposal
CBRN defense
Clandestine operation
Close air support
Close-quarters combat
Coastal defence and fortification
Counter-battery fire
Counterintelligence
Countermeasure
Counterterrorism
Covert operation
Desert warfare
Direct action
Direct fire
Fire support
Force protection
Forward air control
Hostage rescue
HUMINT
Indirect fire
Intelligence assessment
Irregular warfare
ISTAR
Long-range penetration
Maneuver warfare
Maritime patrol
Medical evacuation
Military intelligence
Minesweeping
Mountain warfare
Naval boarding
Naval warfare
Parachuting
Patrolling
Raiding
Reconnaissance
SIGINT
Special operations
Special reconnaissance
Tracking
Underwater demolition
Urban warfare
3,000 sailors and 14 patrol boats
Yellow, blue, black, and white
April 2
May 7
Rear Admiral Saken Bekzhanov[1]
Captain 1st rank Marat Janaev
Captain 1st rank Yermek Baygabulov
Colonel Yerbol Begildayev
Rear Adm. Ratmir Komratov
The branch currently has a strength of 3,000 personnel and is mainly equipped with patrol crafts, minesweepers and a research vessel.
History[edit]
Previously, the Soviet Navy's Caspian Flotilla served in the shores of the Kazakh SSR. Following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the fleet shrank, leaving the Kazakh contingent to serve as a basis for the newly formed navy. Kazakhstan's Naval Forces were established in April 1993 as a naval base of the Kazakh Army. The base, which was stationed in Aktau, initially became active in service on August 17, 1996, in spite of Kazakhstan being one of the largest landlocked countries on earth. In July 1999, the naval base became part of the Maritime units of the Border Guard Service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan. It became a separate military branch by presidential decree on 7 May 2003. In February 2010, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, in his position as supreme commander in chief of the entire military, presented the Battle Flag to the Kazakh Navy. The 612th Airbase in Aktau was opened a year later, in 2011.[2][3]
The following units form the structure of the Kazakh Navy:[4]
[edit]
The Aktau Naval Academy of the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan was the main educational institution of the naval forces. It established in March 2001 by order of the national government on the basis of the Vocational Technical School No. 2. which preceded it. It was reorganized into a naval institute on July 10, 2003, effectively upgrading its status as a nationally recognized military school. Graduates of the institute have served in ships and coastal units of the Navy and maritime units of the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2011, the institute was deactivated and liquidated.[5]