The Kazakh Naval Forces (, ; ) is the naval force responsible for coastal defense, naval special warfare, and naval warfare branch of the

Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan (, , ) are the unified armed forces of Kazakhstan. They consist of three branches ( Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, Naval Forces) as well as four independent formations ( Air Assault Forces, Spec ...

. The navy mainly operates on the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

and is currently based in the coastal city of

Aktau Aktau (; ) is a city in south-west Kazakhstan, on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Aktau is on the Mangyshlak Peninsula in the Mangystau Region. Known for its strategic location on the Caspian Sea, Aktau is a port, playing a key role in th ...

. The branch currently has a strength of 3,000 personnel and is mainly equipped with patrol crafts, minesweepers and a research vessel.

History

Previously, the

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

Caspian Flotilla The Caspian Flotilla () is the flotilla of the Russian Navy in the Caspian Sea. Established in November 1722 by the order of Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Caspian Flotilla is the oldest flotilla in the Russian ...

served in the shores of the

Kazakh SSR The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Kazakhstan, the Kazakh SSR, KSSR, or simply Kazakhstan, was one of the transcontinental constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Located in northern Centr ...

. Following the

Dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

, the fleet shrank, leaving the Kazakh contingent to serve as a basis for the newly formed navy. Kazakhstan's Naval Forces were established in April 1993 as a naval base of the Kazakh Army. The base, which was stationed in

, initially became active in service on August 17, 1996, in spite of Kazakhstan being one of the largest landlocked countries on earth. In July 1999, the naval base became part of the Maritime units of the Border Guard Service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan. It became a separate military branch by presidential decree on 7 May 2003. In February 2010, Kazakh President

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council of ...

, in his position as supreme commander in chief of the entire military, presented the Battle Flag to the Kazakh Navy. The 612th Airbase in Aktau was opened a year later, in 2011.

Structure

The following units form the structure of the Kazakh Navy: * Naval Headquarters * Special Forces Unit * Coastal Artillery * Caspian Flotilla * Border Service of the KNB ** 1st Naval Division ( Bautino) ** 2nd Naval Division ( Bautino) ** 3rd Naval Division (

Atyrau Atyrau (, ; , ; ), known until 1991 as Guryev (), is a city in Kazakhstan and the capital of Atyrau Region. Atyrau is a transcontinental city, at the mouth of the Ural River on the Caspian Sea, between Europe and Asia, west of Almaty and east o ...

)

Aktau Naval Academy

The Aktau Naval Academy of the

Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MD RK, , ҚР ҚМ; , МО РК) is a government agency of Kazakhstan which is the main executive body in implementing military policy. The Defense Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan is t ...

was the main educational institution of the naval forces. It established in March 2001 by order of the national government on the basis of the Vocational Technical School No. 2. which preceded it. It was reorganized into a naval institute on July 10, 2003, effectively upgrading its status as a nationally recognized military school. Graduates of the institute have served in ships and coastal units of the Navy and maritime units of the

Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan The Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan (; ) is a governmental paramilitary force that manages the international borders of Kazakhstan. August 18 is celebrated as the Day of the Border Troops, which is t ...

. In 2011, the institute was deactivated and liquidated.

Commanders

* Rear Admiral (6 November 2008 – 17 July 2009) * Vice Admiral (30 September 2009 – 18 April 2018) * Rear Admiral (18 April 2018 – present)

Naval equipment

Ranks and insignia

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

Other ranks

The rank insignia of

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

s and

enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...

References

{{Asia topic, Navy of, title=Navies of Asia Kazakh Naval Forces Military units and formations established in 1993 Military units and formations established in 2003 Navies by country Naval forces in the Caspian Sea