Defender of the Fatherland Day in Kazakhstan (07/05)

Defender of the Fatherland Day in Kazakhstan is a public holiday and a day off. It is celebrated annually on May 7th. This date was chosen due to the fact that on this day in 1992, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree on the creation of national armed forces.

In 2012, the Head of State signed the Law «On Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «On Holidays in the Republic of Kazakhstan», according to which May 7 – Defender of the Fatherland Day – became a public holiday.

Kazakhstan has adopted the concept of military reform and the state program of military development, which reflect military doctrine and current issues of army reform. In particular, the armed forces of Kazakhstan switched to a three-service structure with the creation of the main headquarters of the ground forces and air defense forces, as well as the naval department. The airmobile forces are assigned the role of reserve of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. A separate branch of the military has been created – Missile Forces and Artillery. In 2022, Decree «On the creation of the command of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan» was signed.

Military-technical cooperation in all possible vectors – is the original policy of Kazakhstan since the declaration of independence in 1991. Key partners undoubtedly include Russia, with which a military-political alliance has been concluded, but this does not prevent the Republic from cooperating militarily with NATO. In particular, Kazakhstan is a member of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and participates in the «Partnership for Peace» program.

Thanks to cooperation with NATO countries, the «Kazbat» battalion created in the republic is fully staffed according to NATO standards and, according to a memorandum signed with the UN, is part of the «blue helmets».

Constant attention is paid to the development of the Armed Forces and increasing their combat effectiveness in Kazakhstan, and measures are being taken to further improve the professionalism of military personnel. The prestige of military service in the Republic is quite high, and military service for many young people serves as the first step for a career in law enforcement agencies.

According to tradition, on Defender of the Fatherland Day, the President of Kazakhstan (who is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief) issues a decree conferring the next military ranks and presents awards to distinguished military personnel. Many ceremonial and festive events take place throughout the country.

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