Azerbaijan: Baku Seems Ambivalent About NATO Membership Finally, both the United States and Turkey have for years engaged in direct bilateral military cooperation with Azerbaijan. The equipment, funding, and expertise provided within the framework of that cooperation serves to enhance the effectiveness of Azerbaijan's armed forces without incurring the risk of antagonizing Russia and Iran, which a formal expression of intent to join NATO would inevitably do. ..Many observers both in Baku and abroad, however, consider that the main problem confronting Azerbaijan's armed forces is not choosing between a civilian or a professional soldier as defense minister, but in replacing corrupt, brutal, and inefficient commanders of individual military units.
Over the past two years, the Azerbaijani media have reported several high-profile corruption cases involving the extortion of bribes by commanding officers to exempt draftees from military service or to allow them leave of absence.
Brutal treatment of conscripts by officers and NCOs is believed to have led to the desertion in recent months of several young soldiers stationed on the Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani forces east of Nagorno-Karabakh. At least three young servicemen were taken prisoner by Armenian forces after leaving their units, and one has reportedly formally requested not to be handed back to his commanding officer.
Defence in the Republic of Azerbaijan According to an agreement between Russia and the Transcaucasian states calling for distribution of former Soviet military assets among the participating parties, Azerbaijan would receive most of the matériel of the 4th Army that had been stationed there, together with part of the Caspian Flotilla. Russians destroyed or removed much of their weaponry upon withdrawing, nevertheless some matériel was stolen, exchanged, or handed over to Azerbaijan. This way, the withdrawal of Russian troops and matériel left an Azeri army ill-equipped and poorly disciplined. During the initial phase of the Nagorno-Karabakh war most of the Azeri units were composed of irregular forces. After the ousting of President Mutalibov the Elchibey government established the basis for the organization of the armed forces, which were considerably strengthened by Aliyev.
Today, due to the unsolved conflict with Armenia, as well as the instability in neighbouring areas (Dagestan, Georgia, Chechnya) Azerbaijan still keeps large armed forces, consuming an important share of its budget. The Chinese and Russian not always discrete support of Armenia have led Azerbaijan to seek military co-operation with the west and the islamic countries. Turkish officers have served as advisers to the Azeri armed forces. Reportedly, a group of American mercenary advisers arrived in Azerbaijan in 1992, and some Americans were believed still in the country in early 1994. About 1,000 former Afghan freedom fighters were hired in 1993, and volunteers from other Muslim countries also reportedly enlisted. Foreign advisers still have an important role today. The main school for the for the army's officers is the "Higher Military Academy" in Baku.
..Military branches:
- Army,
- Navy,
- Air and Air Defence Forces,
- Border Guards.
The army has a force around of 100,000. Most equipment is of Russian origin. It's armoured units are equiped with T-72 and T-55 tanks. Its main APCs are the MT-LB and the BMP-1. Its mobile artillery units use the 2S1 Gvozdika 122-mm self-propelled howitzer and the BM-21 Grad 122 mm multiple-launch rocket system developed in the early 1960s.
Formed in mid-1992, the Azeri navy inherited the former Soviet Caspian Flotilla and Border Guard vessels. The navy has about 5,000 personnel. The navy operates 7 patrol boats (2 - OSA-II-Class and 5 - Stenka-Class), 7 minesweepers (2 - Sonya-Class and 5 - Yevgenya-Class), 6 landing crafts, 2 landing cutters, 1 special purposes vessel and 1 special purposes cutter. Some units operate under CIS command.
The air force has about 7,000 troops. It currently has about 170 planes and 60 helicopters on 16 bases. Its backbone is a squad of MiG-25 Foxbat fighters, but it also operates Su-25 Frogfoot Ground attack planes, Su-24 Fencer fighter bombers and Tu-16 Badger heavy bombers. There is an helicopter squadron operating Mi-24 attack gunships, Mi-8 Assault/transport helicopters and Mi-2 Transport helicopters.
Azerbaijani Air Defense has about 3,500 personnel. Azerbaijan has also a missile system covering the Azeri Aerospace. The NATO designated SA-2 Guideline (original name S-75) has been installed in and around Baku and additional installations exist along the border with Iran and the Dagestan republic. Radars are mostly from the Cold War period, with some recent additions procured from the US. The US are installing two radar stations on the Russia-Azerbaijani border and Iran-Azerbaijani border to monitor Caspian Sea traffic, reinforcing Azerbaijan's position as an American vassal state in the area and positioning it against both Russia and Iran.
Military manpower:
The armed forces rely mostly on conscripts. Chiefly young men from poor backgrounds are drafted, it is widely reported that a 2,000 Euro bribe can assure an exemption from military service on spurious ill-health grounds. Poor and cramped conditions in army barracks exacerbate and spread diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, and typhoid. An alleged culture of corruption, bullying, and neglect in the army continues to cause deaths unrelated to combat. Many soldiers are victims of organized extortion from their officers.
