In Light of the Russian Invasion, Turkmenistan's President overviews the military

[Central Asian Qaghan]

Ashgabat, 22 August 2008 (nCa) --- President Berdymuhamedov visited Thursday a military base in western Turkmenistan where he saw the demonstration of some weapons systems and took a ride in a fully amphibious infantry vehicle.
After landing by helicopter at the military airport in Serdar district of Balkan province, Berdymuhamedov drove his own range rover to the base and walked through an array of scratch-less military hardware and spotless uniforms.
The 22nd motorized infantry division of the Turkmen army is based in Serdar district.
Among the hardware at display were several versions of armoured personnel carriers (APCs), infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), armoured vehicles, combat assault intelligence systems, self propelled howitzers Gvozdika (Carnation) and Akatsiya (Acacia), multi launch rocket systems 220mm Uragan (Hurricane) and 122mm Grad (Hail), Shilka self propelled radar-guided antiaircraft weapons system, Luna-M tactical missile system, operational-tactical missile system Scud, portable antiaircraft missile Osa.
After inspecting the weapons and systems Berdymuhamedov donned the military uniform and rode in a fully amphibious tank to pass through a water barrier, showing full trust in the machine and the young man operating the machine. The tank submerged fully except for its snorkel and emerged after about a minute at the other end of the water barrier.
After emerging from the tank, Berdymuhamedov gave thumbs up sign to the soldiers and presented the base with twenty multipurpose Kamaz vehicles.
Earlier, the president visited mess halls and living barracks of the 223 mobile-motor- rifle regiment.
A commentary by Turkmen media says, “With demonstrated commitment to the status of neutrality and rejecting any violence, the military doctrine of Turkmenistan is purely defensive in nature. The strategic task of the armed forces is to defend the fatherland.”

http://www.newscentralasia.net/Regional-News/300.html

So Because of the Russian threat, nations which aren't under Russian domination or are bullied by it are preparing to defend themselves should the Russians try anything funny.

I'm proud of the fact that these soldiers and our president is prepared for such a defensive action against any and all invaders.

[Mithie]

Good luck Turkish Sultan.

Those Turkmenistan enthusiasts among us might remember seeing THIS piece of news a while back:

http://news.theage.com.au/technology...0605-2mdd.html

Well! It's August 25th, and whoopie! Internet! It's about time, I say! This is a wonderful victory for the people of Turkmenistan, and I hope this foreshadows greater leaps in technology and modernization!

I would like to encourage a round of applause from everyone, for Turkmenistan, well, she's a jolly good fellow! A jolly good fellow indeed.

[sephodwyrm]

I heard that Cuba has the same problem, too.
Not too sure. Any Cubans around?

[Panzerbear]

Those Turkmenistan enthusiasts among us might remember seeing THIS piece of news a while back:

http://news.theage.com.au/technology...0605-2mdd.html

Well! It's August 25th, and whoopie! Internet! It's about time, I say! This is a wonderful victory for the people of Turkmenistan, and I hope this foreshadows greater leaps in technology and modernization!

I would like to encourage a round of applause from everyone, for Turkmenistan, well, she's a jolly good fellow! A jolly good fellow indeed.

just wait till Turkish Sultan will show up to this thread and will state that Turkmenistan is so backward because of... Russians!

[Andrew87]

If Russia didn't give a minority of your population passports or if you don't have russian "peacekeepers" inside Turkmenistan then you should be fine

[Mithie]

... why did the two threads get merged? They are two different pieces of news that have nothing to do with each other save the country.

You don't merge two threads when they're both about the US, do you? Why do it for Turkmenistan?

Now it just seems like I'm posting this here out of spite or something, making me look like a jerk.

[Central Asian Qaghan]

Those Turkmenistan enthusiasts among us might remember seeing THIS piece of news a while back:

http://news.theage.com.au/technology...0605-2mdd.html

Well! It's August 25th, and whoopie! Internet! It's about time, I say! This is a wonderful victory for the people of Turkmenistan, and I hope this foreshadows greater leaps in technology and modernization!

I would like to encourage a round of applause from everyone, for Turkmenistan, well, she's a jolly good fellow! A jolly good fellow indeed.

Considering there was a Russian backed Communist leader from the 80's with approval from Moscow at the time, I'm not suprised he developed a personality cult. I'm more proud of him going where he deserved. Now it will be a time for us to modernize and prepare for those who would try to invade us.

[Heinz Guderian]

Russia would pwn Turkmenistan in like a day. Wait, i forgot about the horse archers...maybe a week.

[Ishoss]

Russia would pwn Turkmenistan in like a day. Wait, i forgot about the horse archers...maybe a week.

Not if they send in a few thousand conscripts like they did to Georgia.

If they actually invade with full force however...

[Heinz Guderian]

Not if they send in a few thousand conscripts like they did to Georgia.

If they actually invade with full force however...

Who knows, they could have beaten Georgia. One of history's great IFs. Like if Panzers werent diverted away from Runsdedt's Army Group Centre's drive on Moscow.

[Holger Danske]

Who knows, they could have beaten Georgia. One of history's great IFs. Like if Panzers werent diverted away from Runsdedt's Army Group Centre's drive on Moscow.

I'm pretty sure a push for Moscow and an assualt would have been a costly affair for the German army, and with winter approaching i'm not sure what difference it would have made. They needed the oil in the south badly, and Stalingrad was kinda in the way. However had the Germans been able to take Moscow (and who knows, Stalin?) the campagin would pretty much be over, and be a big mopping operation... However, IF-scenarios

[Aziel]

Russia would pwn Turkmenistan in like a day. Wait, i forgot about the horse archers...maybe a week.

People tend to forget the differenece between invading a Muslim country and invading a Christian/No-Religion country. Afghanistan comes to mind when you think about Russians invading a Muslim country in recent history.

[Rapax]

Is religious extremism as rampant in Turkmenistan as in Afghanistan?

[Mithie]

Is religious extremism as rampant in Turkmenistan as in Afghanistan?

To be fair, the Turkmenistan's current regime is fairly secular, but the vast majority of its opposing parties are very Islamic.

Islam represents a fairly large portion of the political demographic, but I don't forsee the kind of religious extremism overrunning the country as is the case with the likes of Afghanistan, even with a regime change.

[Aziel]

Is religious extremism as rampant in Turkmenistan as in Afghanistan?

Did the terrorists in Soviet-Afghan war can from Afghanistan, or the outside of it? Afghan extremism rose only after the Soviet retreated.

[Panzerbear]

Considering there was a Russian backed Communist leader from the 80's with approval from Moscow at the time, I'm not suprised he developed a personality cult. I'm more proud of him going where he deserved. Now it will be a time for us to modernize and prepare for those who would try to invade us.

except that Turkmenbashi has never been Russian-backed.

One of history's great IFs. Like if Panzers werent diverted away from Runsdedt's Army Group Centre's drive on Moscow.

oh please. then Red Army troops would have been moved from Stalingrad to Moscow. big deal.

[Daneboy]

oh please. then Red Army troops would have been moved from Stalingrad to Moscow. big deal.

Well, according to "The world at war" (BBC from 1974, it must be biased, I know.) Stalin was indeed in Moscow and had no plans of evacuating.

Only the Siberian reserves could have saved Moscow and Stalin. You know, it might take a while to march from Stalingrad/border of Iran to Moscow, and the soldiers might be just a tad exausted.

Without Stalin it would have been pretty much over.

[Heathen Hammer]

I bet they even have some mighty secret weapon, like battle elephants or a huge catapult.

[Heathen Hammer]

I'm pretty sure a push for Moscow and an assualt would have been a costly affair for the German army, and with winter approaching i'm not sure what difference it would have made. They needed the oil in the south badly, and Stalingrad was kinda in the way. However had the Germans been able to take Moscow (and who knows, Stalin?) the campagin would pretty much be over, and be a big mopping operation... However, IF-scenarios

Moscow was simply not possible to be taken over. The key advantage of German army was air support. however it was not possible to provide in Moscow because we had a lot of AA defence there, even more than in London. Luftwaffe needed to multiply quantity of its planes for 10 times in order to take over Moscow.

[Nordmann]

I think we're going to see many more countries looking to their defences in the coming months, if Russia's recent actions are anything to go by, they may need them.