Not considering any state or coalition of states as its adversary, and opposing the use of military force to achieve political and economic goals, Kyrgyzstan has nevertheless recognized the necessity of preparing the country to defend against possible armed attacks. Thus, the state has committed itself to maintaining and developing its own armed forces (AF).
The legislative foundations for the creation and functioning of the military security system were defined in the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and initially enshrined in the Military-Defense Concept of the Kyrgyz Republic of 1994, later in the Military Doctrine of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as in the Defense Law.
Paragraph 1 of Article 9 of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic states: “The Kyrgyz Republic has no goals of expansion, aggression, or territorial claims resolved by military force. It rejects the militarization of state life, subordinating the state and its activities to the tasks of waging war. The Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan are built according to the principle of self-defense and defensive sufficiency.” According to paragraph 2 of Article 73 of the Constitution, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic takes measures to ensure the country's defense.
The Military-Defense Concept of the Kyrgyz Republic of 1994 states that “the Kyrgyz Republic does not consider any state or coalition of states as its adversary. Its main goal in the field of security is to prevent wars and armed conflicts.” The principle of self-defense and defensive sufficiency in building the AF is complemented by:
• the principle of correspondence of the organizational structure, combat composition, and strength of the AF to the national security needs of the state; • the ability to adequately increase combat power in response to rising military threats; • maintaining combat and mobilization readiness of armed formations at a level corresponding to the evolving situation.
The main defense task, according to the Military-Defense Concept, was considered to be “maintaining, together with other CIS states, a military potential sufficient for their collective defense and ensuring the inviolability of borders, protection of sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
In the Military Doctrine of 2002, influenced by the so-called Batken wars, the emphasis shifted somewhat. Here, ensuring the military security of the Kyrgyz Republic is recognized as “the most important direction of state activity,” and the main goal of ensuring military security becomes “the protection of sovereignty, territory, and economy of the state, state institutions, and citizens from military threats, preventing aggression or the outbreak of armed conflicts, and creating conditions for the sustainable development of the Kyrgyz Republic.” At the same time, “the Kyrgyz Republic ensures military security with the totality of forces, means, and resources at its disposal. In the event of aggression, the defense of the state implies armed protection, mobilization of all military and economic potential, implementation of civil and territorial defense, as well as joint actions with the armed forces of other states in accordance with international treaties.”
Unlike the Military-Defense Concept, the Military Doctrine already identifies the main threats to military security:
• military-political instability, existing and potential hotspots of armed conflicts in the Central Asian region; • the ongoing probability of the penetration of illegal armed formations into the territory of the republic; • the likelihood of weakening regional stability due to excessive quantitative and qualitative buildup of military power by neighboring states and illegal armed formations at the borders of the Kyrgyz Republic; • the danger of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Central Asia and neighboring regions, as well as the possibility of their use by terrorist organizations; • reconnaissance, sabotage, and information-propaganda activities by foreign state security services, international extremist and terrorist organizations aimed at undermining the defense capability of the Kyrgyz Republic; • attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic.
