An Army for Parades, Not for the Challenges of the Times: Turkmenistan Against a Backdrop of Global Threats
Against the backdrop of rapidly increasing international tension, where warnings about the risk of global military conflict are heard more and more frequently, many states are reviewing their defense strategies, investing in technology, modernizing their armies, and strengthening personnel training. The world is entering an era of high turbulence, where the price of error is national security. However, Turkmenistan, judging by what is happening, lives in a parallel reality. While leading countries analyze new formats of warfare—hybrid threats, cyberattacks, drones, and high-precision systems—the Turkmen army continues to demonstrate its strength primarily at parades. The main emphasis remains on the visual image: drill training, exhibition performances, and reports of a “high level of combat readiness” that are not backed by real signs of systemic modernization.
There is a sense that the country’s defense policy is oriented not toward real threats, but toward internal propaganda. At the same time, the question remains open: how ready is the army of Turkmenistan for modern challenges? Where are the investments in technology, specialist training, and the digitalization of the defense sector? Where is the transparency and professional risk analysis? In practice, we see a different picture. The closed nature of the system, the lack of an independent assessment of the state of the armed forces, and a personnel policy based not on competence but on loyalty. All this forms not an army of the future, but a structure of the past.
It is particularly concerning that in conditions of global instability, the country remains effectively isolated from international military cooperation and exchange of experience. While other states are strengthening alliances and partnerships, Turkmenistan continues to rely on self-sufficiency, which in modern conditions can turn into vulnerability. Paradoxically, despite all the rhetoric about neutrality and security, real steps to strengthen defense capability remain barely noticeable. The government prefers to speak of stability without answering the main question: is the country ready for an unstable world?
Today, when global risks are becoming increasingly palpable, Turkmenistan needs to create strength rather than imitate it. It needs not to show off the uniform, but to fill it with substance. Otherwise, there is a risk that at the moment when the army is required to defend rather than march, it will turn out that there is nothing behind the facade but scenery.
