Commanders of the Uzbekistan exercise groups, Captains Abdullaev and Gregori (2nd row, 2nd and 4th from the left), pose with some of the Uzbek and American soldiers during the exercise.

The leadership of the U.S.A. properly considers Uzbekistan a potential partner, capable of conducting an active foreign policy in Central Asia.

To a large degree this is occasioned by the firm intention of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, I.A. Karimov, to systematically carry out the democratic restructuring of society, as well as the implementation of market reforms, as a component of independent internal and foreign policies.

Active steps taken by the leading government of Central Asia towards the systematic creation of an independent and integrated armed forces, capable of defending the territorial integrity and independence of the country without relying on the presence of a foreign military force, attracted the interest of the political and military leadership of the U.S.A. in establishing cooperation with the Republic of Uzbekistan in the military and politico-military arenas.

Realization of this cooperative engagement began on 13 October 1995 with the signing, by the ministers of defense of both countries, of a Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan. On the basis of this document, a series of official and working visits were carried out during 1995-96 by governmental as well as military delegations from both sides to set the stage for military activities. During this period, units of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan twice participated in multinational peacekeeping exercises in the United States.

A shining example of bilateral military cooperation was the Uzbek-American exercise BALANCE-ULTRA 96, which took place as part of the program of Uzbek-American military contacts, signed by the Chief of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States. The location of the exercise was a picturesque corner of Uzbekistan - the Ferganskaya Valley.

From the Uzbek Armed Forces the participants were one platoon of a separate airborne battalion under the command of the Battalion Commander, Capt. B. Abdullayev. The U.S. contingent consisted of 13 soldiers under the command of Capt. Gregory G. Allen. The exercise began with a grand opening ceremony conducted by Assistant Minister of Defense of Uzbekistan Major Gen. K. S. Abdullayev.

The first phase of the exercise was primarily devoted to an exchange of training experience between soldiers of the U.S. and Uzbekistan. On the grounds of an airborne base, American instructors conducted training for tactical units on combat first aid. This training included: treatment of bullet wounds, burns, broken bones and bite wounds of poisonous animals and insects; CPR techniques; artificial respiration; treatment for shock; and starting an IV. Sgt. 1st Class McCormack and Staff Sergeants Howard Ammerman and Thomas Cunningham demonstrated a high level of professionalism and expertise in a complex and instructive training scenario.

The results of this controlled exercise in combat medical training were simply outstanding. The American specialists rated very highly the intelligence and decisive action of Uzbek Sgt. K. Faizev, Junior Sgt. D. Turayev and Privates S. Gaipov, A. Voloshin and B. Tashpulatov. They expressed particular gratitude for the assistance of Medical Service Senior Lt. M. Abduazimov in preparing and conducting the training. Sgt. 1st Class McCormack was greatly impressed by the anatomical knowledge of Lt. Abduazimov, and expressed confidence that this military doctor would work wonders under field conditions. The Americans paid particular attention to the experience of the Uzbek doctors in stopping the flow of blood from the carotid artery.

Together with mastery of combat medical skills, the Uzbek specialists conducted a number of demonstrations of airborne training, including all elements of training for jumping with a parachute and an actual parachute jump. During this exercise, Uzbek soldiers were able to experience the capabilities of the American parachutes, while their colleagues from the U.S.A. jumped with the D-6 parachute. Both sides expressed satisfaction and confidence in the reliability of the equipment.

The high level of training effectiveness of these exercises was facilitated by the outstanding professionalism of the Deputy Commander of the separate airborne training support battalion, Capt. Uktam Karimov. Capt. Gregory G. Allen and his colleagues rated highly the training and material base of the battalion as well as the high skill level of the officers and sergeants.

During the second phase of the exercise, the American soldiers became acquainted with the daily activities and training of airborne units in the difficult conditions of a mountain camp.

The concluding element of this training phase was a tactical exercise with an airborne platoon, during which the soldiers were required to make a combat jump under tactical conditions. The mission of the jumpers was to destroy an enemy communications hub and ammunition storage site. The final mission was to seize a mountain pass and hold it until the arrival of the main force.

During the accomplishment of this mission, the soldiers attacked the communications hub, seized trophy equipment and later used this equipment, destroyed the ammunition storage site, seized and de-mined a tactically important bridge, forged a mountain river, and secured seized areas.

The tactical exercise was universally instructive. The platoon of airborne troops under the command of Lt. Ratmir Yuldashev demonstrated their high level of preparedness for decisive and daring action in difficult mountain terrain. This opinion was expressed not only by the exercise controller but also by participating representatives: France, Russia, Turkey, and the U.S.A.

The positive experience of exercise BALANCE-ULTRA 96 laid a solid foundation for future development of bilateral relations in the military arena. Combined activities are already scheduled for 1997 as reflected in the 1997 Program for Uzbek-American Military Contacts. The most significant of these activities include the following:

• Meeting of the Uzbek-American Working Group for Cooperative Engagement in Defense Issues;

• Visits to Uzbekistan by the Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Commanding General of United States Army Pacific;

• Exercise BALANCE-ULTRA 97 in Uzbekistan in June 1997;

• Exchange of officer and enlisted personnel visits to both countries;

• Participation in combined conferences and seminars concerning security and defense issues.

It must be noted that the exchange of experiences with the world’s leading power on issues concerning the building of military forces, the varied types of assistance rendered by the United States, and the bilateral activities conducted, facilitate the strengthening of Uzbekistan’s ability to defend herself as well as supporting stability and security in the region. Uzbeks and Americans agree that contacts in the military-political and military areas can develop in the following areas:

• Regular consultation between military agencies concerning questions of global and regional security, peacekeeping and other military-political questions of mutual interest;

• Expansion of Uzbek participation in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) Program, as a result of which we will gain access to a broader range of military information and training in the military institutions of the U.S.A.;

• American assistance in equipping the military training institutions of Uzbekistan with modern training materials and equipment and in the organization of wide ranging exchanges of instructors, students and cadets, as well as an exchange of training expertise;

• Study of the feasibility of the Uzbek Armed Forces using American arms and equipment, and also of creating a production base, using American technology, to produce military equipment;

• Visit exchanges of military delegations as well as cultural and sport activities.

For Uzbekistan and the U.S.A., the future of military contacts and cooperation looks very bright.