NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the Kazakh Defense Ministry to modernize the structure and staff of the Armed Forces to be better equipped to deal with the emerging threats to the security of the country at the meeting at the ministry on March 2, the Akorda Press reported.
Tokayev meets with top defense officials at Kazakh Defense Ministry. Photo credit: akorda.kz
During the meeting, officials addressed issues related to providing the army with modern and high-tech military equipment.
The President noted the importance of improving the military command system using modern digital approaches and set before the ministry the task to review the combat training program.
Tokayev said that the development of the military education system and human personnel is needed to raise the professional competence within the military and to promote the concept of career advancement based on the principles of merit and competence.
He also noted the need to raise the social status of military personnel and the prestige of military service within society. The younger generation should be better motivated to perform their military duty.
According to the National Statistics Committee, the country’s military expenditure reached up to 744.7 billion tenge (US$1.7 billion in accordance with average exchange rate in 2021) in 2021 increasing by 10.9 percent. The share of military spending relative to the national budget reached 4.1 percent this year, remaining almost unchanged in comparison with 2020.
As a share of GDP, the defense expenditure was 0.9 percent in 2021. From year to year, it has remained stable, ranging from 0.8 percent to 1.1 percent over the past ten years.
Among other post-Soviet countries presented in the ranking, Kazakhstan lags far behind Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan in terms of military expenditure.
