Russia to expand its military presence in Kyrgyzstan

From the Jamestown Foundation:

The Russian military is set to expand its military presence in Kyrgyzstan later this year by increasing the number of Russian personnel at its airbase in Kant, near Bishkek. According to Colonel-General Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the Russian air force, by the end of 2006 Russia will have increased its military presence at Kant by 150%. The move to strengthen the airbase underlines Moscow's commitment to promoting its military and security interests in Kyrgyzstan, as well as more generally within Central Asia; serves to bring pressure on the Bakiyev regime to avoid a Westward drift in its security policy; and confirms a sense of ongoing rivalry with the U.S. base at Manas (RTR, Russia TV, May 12).

Russian military ways, thinking, and influence, which permeate all the post-Soviet legacy forces in the region to a greater or lesser extent, is extended through the Kant base. On May 11 Kyrgyz Defense Minister Ismail Isakov announced Bishkek's plan to create a new structure within the armed forces, namely the Air Defense Forces. "They will comprise three elements: watching our airspace, destroying violators of our country's airspace, and radio-technical units," Isakov declared. In fact, Isakov and Mikhailov discussed the prospects for setting up air defense forces from subunits and subdivisions of Kyrgyzstan's air defense and air force personnel. Moreover, Mikhailov expressed his readiness to organize training courses for Kyrgyz air personnel at Russian educational establishments. Training flights will also be organized at the airbase in Kant. There are currently four aircraft being modified for this task.

As I mentioned in this post, Russia and China are making an effort to peel Kyrgyzstan away from the US.

The US makes use of a base in Kyrgyzstan, but Kyrgyzstan is asking for a significant increase in rent. The matter is to be decided by June 1. If the US is pushed out of Kyrgyzstan, the US military presence in Central Asia will essentially be confined to Afghanistan.

Through instruments such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Russia is competing with the US in Central Asia. The war on terror has made the region of strategic interest to the US, and yet we face strong challenges to our relationships with the Central Asian nations.

Aside from strategic physical locations, the region has energy resources that are drawing the attentions of Russia, China and Iran. The US may find itself on the outside looking in, and that may have negative implications for our security.