According to Turkmenistan’s state media outlets, on 3 May, “a few hours before the sunrise” Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov carried out “the unexpected inspection” of the national army and held a field session of the State Security Council.
“With a view of unexpectedly inspecting the national army’s combat readiness, improving the military training of the contingent of all troop branches the President gave the order to Defense Minister Yalym Berdiev via video conference to promptly bring the military units of the armed forces to a combat readiness status in line with established procedure”, — the state information agency TDH reported.
The personal inspection was conducted by the President at the military training centre where the situation centre is located. Samples of the air force and specialized equipment were demonstrated to Berdymukhammedov.
“The president tested one of the all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), the power of its engine and maneuverability when loaded into a military transport aircraft. Then the head of the state proceeded to the сommand observation post to watch the flights operated by Turkmen pilots” , — the media outlet said.
After hosting a brief Security Council session, the head of the state “watched the military training exercise by the military units of the Defense Ministry on a large display via video conference”.
It should be highlighted that in the past six months President Berdymukhammedov has been paying increased attention to the country’s military development.
On 6 April he personally conducted the training for the executives of the Turkmen law enforcement authorities.
On 24 February he participated in the opening of the new border crossing checkpoint of Serkhetabat border units.
On 11 February he visited the military training facility of the air defense forces and tested a helicopter and a special-purpose vehicle.
On 17 January the President visited the airbase, inspected the fleet of military helicopters and tested one of helicopters.
On 10 January Berdymukhammedov paid a visit to one of Turkmen border crossing checkpoints where ordnance, military uniforms and equipment were demonstrated to him.
On 22 November 2017 the head of the state also visited the border crossing checkpoint near Ashgabat, where frontier guards performed one of their musical pieces.