Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz and Tajiks: who has the most powerful army?

To determine which of the listed peoples - Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, or Tajiks - has the most powerful army, we can refer to current data on the military forces of the corresponding countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. For an objective comparison, I will rely on criteria such as the size of armed forces, military budget, military equipment, and positions in international rankings, such as the Global Firepower Index, which evaluates countries' military power based on more than 50 factors.

1. Azerbaijan

• Army size: About 66,000 people in active forces, plus a significant reserve (up to 300,000).
• Military budget: Approximately $3.1 billion USD (according to SIPRI data for recent years).
• Equipment: Azerbaijan has actively modernized its army, purchasing modern weapons from Russia, Turkey, and Israel. It has about 450 tanks, more than 1,000 armored vehicles, modern drones (e.g., Bayraktar TB2), as well as more than 150 military aircraft and helicopters.
• Global Firepower Ranking (2024): 59th place in the world.
• Features: Azerbaijan demonstrated high combat capability during the Second Karabakh War (2020), where it effectively used drones and modern tactics.

2. Kazakhstan

• Army size: About 70,000-110,000 people (including active forces and reservists).
• Military budget: About $2-2.4 billion USD (according to data for 2022-2024, with plans to increase).
• Equipment: More than 300 tanks, about 100 military aircraft (including Su-30SM), developed aviation and air defense forces. Kazakhstan is also updating its equipment fleet, including military transport aircraft.
• Global Firepower Ranking (2024): 58th place in the world.
• Features: The largest military budget in Central Asia and an emphasis on modernization. Kazakhstan is often called the regional leader in military power.

3. Uzbekistan

• Army size: About 48,000-65,000 people.
• Military budget: Exact data for recent years is not available, but in 2018 it was about $1.4 billion USD, with an upward trend.
• Equipment: About 420 tanks, 165 aircraft and helicopters, including combat ones. Uzbekistan is actively modernizing its air force and focusing on drones.
• Global Firepower Ranking (2024): 65th place in the world.
• Features: Considered one of the most combat-capable armies in Central Asia due to its population size (mobilization potential of up to 13 million) and experience in combating internal threats.

4. Kyrgyzstan

• Army size: About 12,000-15,000 people.
• Military budget: About $150-446 million USD.
• Equipment: A small number of tanks (about 150), several aircraft and helicopters, multiple launch rocket systems.
• Global Firepower Ranking (2024): 105th place in the world.
• Features: Smaller army focused on internal security and cooperation within the CSTO (with Russia).

5. Tajikistan

• Army size: About 9,500-15,000 people.
• Military budget: About $100-446 million USD.
• Equipment: 37 tanks, 25 aircraft (mostly transport), 26 combat helicopters. A significant portion of the equipment is outdated.
• Global Firepower Ranking (2024): 107th place in the world.
• Features: The weakest army in the region in terms of resources, depends on the Russian military base (201st base) for support.

Comparison