Tajikistan

摘要

President Emomali Rahmon serves as commander in chief and assumes loose authority over the Tajik military establishment. Operational control of the two branches of the Tajik military - the Air Force and the Army - is nominally held by Col. Gen. Sherali Khayrulloyev. The Ministry of Defense supervises daily military functions and shares operations planning responsibilities with the Ministries of Security and Interior.The command structure of the Tajik military has become increasingly centralized in recent years. In accordance with the 1997 peace agreement, control over various command elements of the military was distributed among pro-government officials, with members of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) reintegrating into government positions. The result of such a dispersed command structure, which was intended to prevent the consolidation of military power by either faction, was a largely ineffective military establishment that lacked the institutional framework necessary to provide adequate funding for strategic direction. With the expiration of the peace agreement in 2004, pro-government political parties marginalized the political presence of the UTO, effectively reducing its influence over the Tajik military. Concurrent with the decline of UTO political influence, President Rahmon began consolidating control over key ministries pertaining to national defense and security, enabling him to implement plans to reestablish the president as the military's central command authority.