New command system introduced in Uzbek army

A new unified command system has been introduced in Uzbekistan's army irrespective of their department, as part of the military reform.

RIA Novosti learned on Monday in the Republic's Defence Ministry that a Unified Command of the Armed Forces had been created, i.e. "a unified command responsible for working out and implementing decisions in the sphere of armed defence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic." According to the source, the aim of the created defence system lies in putting the defence capability of the country "to the level of necessary sufficiency and making it guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country." The Defence Ministry said that the implemented reforms provided for creating compact, mobile units armed with advanced weapons and hardware.

A gradual transition to a professional army is under way. At the first stage it will involve separate units and sub-units. Schools for training sergeants have already been created in each military district. It is them - professional sergeants - who "will become the core of the modernised army," the ministry said.

The Defence Ministry stressed that service in the army "must be a result of realising one's own place in society, and this applies not only to contract servicemen." Under the proposal put forward by the Uzbek president, Islam Karimov, the service term has been reduced from 1.5 years to one year. According to the leadership of the Defence Ministry "this period is sufficient to undergo combat training."