# General Staff of Armed Forces (Kyrgyzstan)

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyz: Кыргыз Республикасынын Куралдуу Күчтөрүнүн Башкы штабынын, Kyrgyz Respublikasynyn Kuralduu Küxhtörünün Bashky shtabynyn) is the military staff of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The Chief of the General Staff is appointed by the President of Kyrgyzstan, who is the supreme commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The current Chief of the General Staff is Major General Erlis Terdikbayev. From 2014-2021, the Chief of the General Staff was the paramount leader of the armed forces, just second to the commander in chief. It is currently composed of the commanders of the Kyrgyz Army, Kyrgyz Air Force, Kyrgyzstan Frontier Force, and the Kyrgyz National Guard. The headquarters of the General Staff is located on 26 Yakov Logvinenko Street, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

## General information

The Chief of the General Staff is appointed directly by the President of Kyrgyzstan, who is also commander in chief of the country's military. He/she holds the rank of Major general (Генерал майор). The general staff is the chief organizing and executive body in the armed force responsible for maintaining its combat readiness. From 2014-2021, it was higher in precedence to the State Committee for Defense Affairs, which was the equivalent to Kyrgyzstan's defense ministry. In February 2014, the General Staff was expanded to have complete control and authority over the entire military, with the state defense committee playing a smaller, sometimes ceremonial role. This was reverted in February 2021, with the General Staff presently serving as an administrative position under the Ministry of Defense.

## Current leaders

* Chief of the General Staff – Major General Ruslan Mukambetov
* Commander of the Army – Colonel Almazbek Karasartov
* Commander of the Air Force – Colonel Kylychbek Aidaraliev
* Commander of the State Border Guard Service – Colonel Ularbek Sharesheev
* Commander of the National Guard – Colonel Talantbek Ergeshov

## List of Chiefs of the General Staff

| No. | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | Kulov, FelixFelix Kulov (born 1948) | 10 December 1993 | 1995 | 1–2 years | |
| 2 | Topoev, EsenMajor General Esen Topoev (born 1952) | 1995 | October 1999 | 3–4 years | |
| 3 | Tinaliev, KubanychbayMajor General Kubanychbay Tinaliev (born 1956) | 2003 | 2004 | 0–1 years | |
| 4 | Bekboev, MelsMajor General Mels Bekboev (born 1952) | August 2004 | February 2006 | 1 year, 6 months | |
| 5 | Yugai, BorisMajor General Boris Yugai (1957–2010) | 14 March 2007 | 24 June 2008 | 1 year, 3 months | |
| 6 | Kudayberdiev, AbibillaMajor General Abibilla Kudayberdiev (born 1962) | November 2009 | July 2010 | 8 months | |
| 7 | Omuraliev, TaalaibekMajor General Taalaibek Omuraliev (born 1965) | July 2010 | 26 December 2011 | 1 year, 5 months | . |
| 8 | Subankulov, IlyazbekMajor General Ilyazbek Subankulov (born 1968) | 18 January 2012 | 6 February 2014 | 2 years, 19 days | |
| 9 | Alymkozhoev, AsanbekMajor General Asanbek Alymkozhoev (born 1956) | 6 February 2014 | 5 November 2015 | 1 year, 272 days | |
| 10 | Kaparov, JanybekMajor General Janybek Kaparov (born 1970) | 5 November 2015 | 11 May 2016 | 188 days | |
| 11 | Duishenbiev, RayimberdiMajor General Rayimberdi Duishenbiev (born 1972) | 11 May 2016 | 9 October 2020 | 4 years, 151 days | |
| 12 | Omuraliev, TaalaibekMajor General Taalaibek Omuraliev (born 1965) | 9 October 2020 | 29 March 2021 | 171 days | |
| 13 | Terdikbayev, ErlisMajor General Erlis Terdikbayev (born 1969) | 29 March 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 319 days | |

## Awards of the General Staff

Military personnel of the Armed Forces can be awarded with General Staff awards, as well as military personnel of foreign states and citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic. Currently, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic has the following departmental awards:
* Medal "For military merits"
* Medal "For loyalty to duty"