THE ARMED FORCES OF CENTRAL ASIA

Access Tiers and Strategic Deliverables

On behalf of the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, we are pleased to extend your organisation an exclusive opportunity to access our flagship analytical project: The Armed Forces of Central Asia. This initiative represents the culmination of a two-year, in-depth research programme designed to systematically map, validate, and analyse the military institutions, structures, and capabilities of the Central Asian republics.

The Armed Forces of Central Asia project delivers a uniquely comprehensive, country-by-country breakdown of regional military architecture, including force structures, order of battle, basing infrastructure, procurement and modernisation trends, and command hierarchies, with all of our findings having been rigorously cross-referenced through classified and open-source intelligence, multi-layered satellite imagery, subject-matter expert interviews, and in-region field research. Access to these datasets is also available through a tiered model to accommodate a wider range of operational requirements and organisational priorities, from targeted chapter-level entry to comprehensive, organisation-wide licensing with data annexes and direct analyst support. A summary of each tier’s deliverables being outlined below.

TIER 1

Tier 1 Package

This entry-level package includes a curated, high-value tranche of materials relevant to strategic planning, military threat assessments, and regional situational awareness across the five Central Asian Republics:

1. Detailed State Reports

Each country-specific chapter in this series comprises a detailed, 150+ page report dedicated to one of the five Central Asian republics. Designed as a definitive reference for government agencies, defence-sector stakeholders, and strategic planners, each volume delivers a deep, data-driven analysis of that state’s armed forces and security apparatus. The reports examine the historical, political, and strategic factors shaping current military postures, offering granular insight into command hierarchies, interagency coordination, force structure, and civil-military relations. They also provide in-depth assessments of procurement trends, defence budgets, alliance commitments, and service-branch capabilities, highlighting each nation’s operational strengths and systemic vulnerabilities. By consolidating thousands of verified data points, these reports serve as a centralised, actionable intelligence product, enabling policymakers, analysts, and defence professionals to develop an informed, comprehensive understanding of the evolving military landscape in Central Asia.

Sample excerpts from chapters of “The Armed Forces of Central Asia.”

As part of this package, we also provide your organisation with high-resolution copies of all our charts, maps, order of battle visualisations, and operational diagrams. These assets being formatted for seamless integration into your organisation’s internal briefings, training materials, and strategic planning documents, while also enabling detailed, close-range analysis of geographic and force structure data.

The Tajik Order of Battle. One of the charts included within this package.

We have also included a comprehensive, analyst-curated spreadsheet containing critical, region-specific data on all of the military units across Central Asia. Where applicable, each entry details the unit’s:

  • Official name or designation.
  • Numeric identifier. 
  • Branch affiliation.
  • Geographic location. 
  • Curated operational notes.
  • Along with embedded links to open-source imagery and documentation used to verify the unit’s presence and activity. 

The dataset can also be delivered to your organisation either as a static export or maintained as a live document, with periodic updates provided by senior members of the AFOCA research team to reflect new intelligence, additional satellite validation, or on-the-ground developments as they emerge.

Extracts from the Force Structure dataset displaying a sample row for Tajik unit 051060, including unit name, military unit designation, geospatial coordinates, service branch, geospatial coordinates, and associated OSINT verification links.

Your organisation will also receive a customised, secure login to a dedicated portal on the Oxus Society’s website, exclusively provisioned for your team. This portal grants your team access to a live, interactive map featuring over 4,000+ geolocated military, defence, and government installations across the five Central Asian republics. As a dynamic platform, the portal is accessible from any authorised location and is continuously updated by Oxus analysts to reflect new intelligence, field reporting, and satellite-confirmed developments. For an organisation like yours, this resource serves as a central, unredacted repository of regional military infrastructure, enabling your team to conduct more accurate threat assessments, operational planning, and situational analysis across the entire region.

Screenshots from the restricted-access version of our geospatial mapping platform, developed alongside this report. The platform features identified and pinned coordinates for over 4,000+ military-relevant installations across the five Central Asian republics, including everything from fixed and mobile surface-to-air missile systems, military bases, border outposts, command and control centres, and military education facilities, providing a comprehensive visual overview of the region’s defence infrastructure.

The tier also includes a comprehensive inventory of each nation’s military assets, consolidated into a single, analyst-ready spreadsheet. Covering everything from ground vehicles and artillery systems to fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and available naval assets. This resource allows policymakers and analysts to quickly assess not only the quantity and diversity of platforms across the region, but also the strategic dependencies created by foreign-supplied systems.

Screenshot from the redacted-access version of the Oxus Society’s weapons systems database, with platform quantities withheld under Tier One restrictions.

Tier 1 access also provides three hours of direct consultation with Michael Hilliard, Director of Defence and Security Analysis at the Oxus Society and lead author of this study. These sessions, conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams or in person by arrangement, offer clients the opportunity to engage directly with the project’s principal analyst.

Whether used for tailored briefings, training workshops, customised assessments, or deep-dives into specific data points, these consultations ensure your organisation can fully exploit the intelligence contained within, and translate that raw data into actionable insights for policy, planning, and operational decision-making.

TIER 2

Tier 2 Package

Includes everything in Tier 1, as well as:

7. Comprehensive Wargaming Scenario Playback and Strategic Assessment

This higher tier also provides the purchaser with full access to the detailed operational breakdowns and findings from our Central Asian wargaming simulations, including scenarios like:

  • A Russian invasion of Northern Kazakhstan
  • A domestic uprising in Southern Kyrgyzstan
  • A Kyrgyz invasion of Northern Tajikistan
  • An ISKP incursion in Southern Uzbekistan
  • An Uzbek invasion of Tajikistan
  • A Naval skirmish between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea
  • An ISKP incursion into Eastern Tajikistan
  • A Russian-led coup against the government in Tajikistan
  • A Tajik invasion of Southern Kyrgyzstan

While the main chapters do contain a summary of these wargames, this tier is accompanied by an additional full sequential play-by-play analysis outlining the movements, decision cycles, hit ratios, and strategic intent of the participating blue and red force teams. This product being designed to inform contingency planning, training simulations, and regional conflict forecasting, incorporating scenario-based insights derived from current ORBAT data and terrain analysis. For an additional fee, the Oxus Society, under the direction of Michael Hilliard, can also facilitate customised similar wargaming exercises for your agency personnel or designated participants as well. If requested, these additional sessions with your team can also be tailored to specific operational scenarios, regional contingencies, or strategic planning requirements, and may be conducted in-person or via secure virtual platforms.

Tier Two access also provides full integration-level access to the KML file suite underpinning the Oxus Society’s geospatial mapping platform. The datasets are fully compatible with industry-standard platforms, including ArcGIS and Google Earth Pro, allowing seamless incorporation of these locations into your agency’s existing geospatial workflows and intelligence systems.

To ensure operational reliability, the AFOCA team at Oxus will also provide your team periodic updates and enhancements to these files, allowing your analysts to track developments in real time as events unfold on the ground. For decision-makers, this tier ensures that intelligence is not only authoritative, but also directly actionable within existing operational planning tools, bridging the gap between data collection and applied strategy.

TIER 3

Tier 3 Package

Includes everything in Tier 1 and Tier 2, as well as:

9. Complete Military and Economic Datasets

At the heart of this tier is full access to the AFOCA Dataset, the most comprehensive, platform-level assessment of the region’s militaries currently available in open-source or grey literature. While the dataset includes core inventory data and force structure breakdowns, it also goes significantly further, integrating a range of critical sub-datasets, including:

  • Comprehensive inventories of military equipment holdings and primary suppliers for all five Central Asian republics, as well as Azerbaijan and the Russian Caspian Flotilla.
  • Detailed naval order-of-battle data, including vessel class, hull number, home port, and command affiliation for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Russia’s Caspian Fleet. 
  • Listings of region-specific vehicle variants and military hardware modifications. 
  • Visual symbology reference guides and unit identification charts consistent with local and Soviet-era conventions. 
  • A catalogue of joint and multilateral military exercises involving Central Asian states and their international partners. 
  • Defence procurement figures and multi-year acquisition trends by state. 
  • National military budget breakdowns, with comparative visualisation charts spanning multiple years (2017 – 2024). 
  • Regional trade data visualisations comparing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, China, and Turkey,  including intra-regional trade volumes and bilateral economic dependencies. 
  • Historical and current compositions of each nation’s Security Council, including profiles and institutional affiliations of key personnel. 
  • Service branch origin of each state’s Minister of Defence and Chief of the General Staff (1991–2025), enabling structural military lineage tracking. 
  • Corruption index scores and trend analysis for each Central Asian republic from 1991 to 2025. Percentage of GDP derived from remittances (2017–2024), with comparative charts across the region. 
  • Monthly national unemployment figures for Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia (2014–2025), with year-on-year comparisons. 
  • Comparative defence alliance expenditure data, including NATO, CSTO, and broader post-Soviet and Central Asian blocs. 
  • Regional freedom and governance index rankings from 2017 to 2025, including year-on-year shifts and comparative assessments.

PRICING

To accommodate varying needs and budgetary requirements of each organisation, AFOCA packages may be purchased in two ways:

  1. By Country: allowing clients to focus on the specific republics most relevant to their mission requirements.
  2. Full Regional Access: providing comprehensive coverage of all five Central Asian states in a single, integrated package.

(Note: Chapter II: Kazakhstan, will be available from October, 2025)

We believe these offerings deliver an unparalleled level of insight into the organisational structure, operational capabilities, and strategic posture of Central Asia’s defence and security apparatus, with each dataset having been purpose-built to provide tangible operational value to government agencies, military commands, and analytical divisions engaged in regional threat assessments, intelligence monitoring, and strategic planning.

To request access to these enhanced intelligence products, or to coordinate a secure, high-level briefing, please contact either Michael Hilliard or Dr. Edward Lemon at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs to initiate arrangements.

In any case though, we thank you for your interest in our project, and I look forward to chatting with you more soon.

Respectfully,

 Michael Hilliard
 Director of Defence and Security Analysis
 Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs
michaelhilliard@oxussociety.org
+61 409 655 786

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