Kyrgyzstan may extend contract military service to 10 years

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan has signed a law that extends the term of contract military service for persons who graduated from higher educational institutions from 5 to 10 years. The law was adopted by the Jogorku Kenesh, the Kyrgyz Parliament, on June 7, 2023, Turanews.kz reports.

The law also gives the head of the authorized state body in charge of defense issues the authority to leave military servicemen in military service for fixed-term military service in excess of the established period, but not more than two months, at the request of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces or the head of the relevant state body that provides for military service.

The law is seen as an attempt to attract and retain skilled soldiers in the Kyrgyz military. Kyrgyzstan’s military has been struggling to attract and retain soldiers in recent years, due to low pay and poor conditions. The new law is expected to help address these issues.

In a statement, President Japarov said that the new law was necessary to “strengthen the military potential of the Kyrgyz Republic.” He said that the law would “help to attract and retain highly qualified personnel in the military.”

The law will go into effect on August 1, 2023.