Turkmenistan’s defense minister, Begench Gundogdyev, is attempting to use incentives rather than the usual pressure to halt a wave of resignations among army officers.Military personnel who have been absent without leave for more than six months are now being offered transfers to the regions they come from, allowing them to resume service there.
The measure has had little effect, however, as it does not address officers’ main concern — financial hardship.Meanwhile, despite wars involving two neighboring countries, there have been no significant changes in Turkmenistan’s armed forces.To Their Region, but Not HomeIn recent days, Gundogdyev held a meeting with unit commanders to review the first two months of 2026.
Current developments in Iran and Afghanistan received little attention, as did the continued mass departures of officers and the reasons behind them.By the end of the meeting, several commanders raised personnel issues, asking the minister to sign dismissal requests for problematic subordinates.
The topic appears to trouble Gundogdyev himself.He reacted angrily, saying he would not sign a single report and that subordinates must be retained at any cost.“Lock them in the armory if you have to, but do not let them leave the army,” a turkmen.news source quoted the minister as saying.In the following days, Gundogdyev appears to have taken a more pragmatic approach.
Some service members began receiving calls from the Defense Ministry offering a concession — transfers to serve in their home regions.Previously, both conscripts and officers were always assigned to serve outside their home areas.
The practice dates back to the Soviet era and is based on the idea that, in the event of unrest, armed personnel would defend the authorities rather than their fellow locals.Now an exception is being made specifically for those seeking discharge after going absent without leave: they are promised reassignment closer to their families in exchange for returning to duty.
Some officers, however, have not reported to their units for more than a year — roughly as long as Gundogdyev has refused to sign their resignation requests.Appeals to regional ties have proven insufficient.
According to a turkmen.news source, no one has accepted the offer to return to service.Meanwhile, the number of those seeking to leave the army continues to grow, as they see no prospects for themselves.The key issue — housing — remains unresolved, and it was created by Gundogdyev himself.
Two years ago, he issued an order canceling officers’ right to privatize service housing after years of service and in other cases provided by the law.While outflow existed before, it became especially widespread afterward.A year ago, the Defense Ministry proposed that officers purchase new apartments at their own expense.
The initiative was presented as a privilege, although in practice military personnel must pay the full cost of housing and later cannot sell it.Officers understand that by working abroad for several years — for example, in Russia — they can save enough for a substantial down payment on their own home, as well as for a car and their children’s future.Turkmenistan Not Preparing for WarHousing is the most acute issue, but far from the only one facing the military.
Service members regularly report both general supply problems and declining morale in the army, including hazing and corruption that affect not only conscripts but officers as well.Those unable to resign effectively serve until retirement.
Motivation and discipline have fallen so low that any order from a commander can become the final straw, after which an officer submits a resignation request and stops reporting for duty.This is not only a matter of social protections for military personnel, but also of national security.On February 27, Pakistan’s defense minister, Khawaja Asif, announced the start of an “open war” with the Taliban, the de facto rulers of Afghanistan.
Since then, by various estimates, the total number of casualties on both sides has reached from 95 to several hundred people, including civilians.Most civilian deaths have occurred in Afghanistan, which borders Turkmenistan.On February 28, Israel and the United States carried out strikes on Iran, which has responded with attacks on Israel and U.S.
facilities in the region.The number of civilian deaths in Iran has reached about 1,300.According to turkmen.news sources in the Turkmen army, the only military units that have stepped up activity amid developments in neighboring countries are electronic warfare and air defense units.
In other branches, everything remains unchanged, including in regions bordering Iran and Afghanistan.Even potential scenarios in which Turkmenistan could be affected inadvertently — for example, if a stray missile or drone were to land on its territory — are not being rehearsed.
No instructions were issued to the military after U.S.and Israeli strikes on oil storage facilities near Tehran, which sent hazardous clouds drifting north toward Turkmenistan.Turkmenistan’s policy of neutrality and diplomacy has so far helped keep conflicts in neighboring countries beyond its borders.
However, Turkmen military personnel warn that the army’s extremely low combat readiness and lack of motivation among its ranks would leave the country with no chance if those conflicts were to reach its frontier.