Military History Of Belarus
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Узброеныя сілы Рэспублікі Беларусь - УС РБ, Uzbrojenyja sily Respubliki Bielaruś, Russian: Boopyжённыe cилы Pecпyблики Бeлapycь, Vooruzhennye sily Respubliki Belarus) consist of the Ground Forces and the Air and Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence (Belarus). Lieutenant General Yuriy Zhadobin is the Minister of Defence since December 4, 2009. Being a landlocked country, Belarus has no navy.
In 2007 the IISS estimated that personnel in the armed forces numbered 72,940 (IISS 2007), although a reduction to 60,000 was planned. Most soldiers are conscripts serving for a period 12 months (with higher education) or 18 month (without).
The previous Belarusian National Republic of March 1918 to 1919 did not have time to create armed forces in its brief existence, although attempts to create a military have been documented. The Republic of Belarus has conducted effective military reforms within the last decade which have reshaped its armed forces as a relatively effective force for a small state in somewhat difficult economic conditions.
The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus (Russian: Министерство обороны Республики Беларусь, Belarusian: Мiнiстэрства абароны Рэспублікі Беларусь) is the government organisation that is charged with the duties of raising and maintaining the Armed Forces of Belarus. The formation of the ministry began in 1992, after the events of 1991 in which the Soviet Union had effectively dissolved. Six officers have served as Minister of Defence of Belarus: Petr Chaus, Pavel Kozlovskii, Anatoly Kostenko, Leonid Maltsev (1995–96), Colonel General Alexander Chumakov (1996-2001), and Yuriy Zhadobin (ru:Жадобин, Юрий Викторович) (2009–present).
Read more about Military History Of Belarus: History, Structure, Equipment
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