BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 6. Kazakhstan's Defense Minister, Major General Aidos Myrzakhmetov, met with US Ambassador to Kazakhstan Julie Stufft to review the current state of bilateral defense cooperation, the Kazakh Defense Ministry reported.
The US ambassador was accompanied by Colonel Christopher Distifeno, Defense Attaché at the US Embassy in Kazakhstan.
The meeting took place several days after Myrzakhmetov held talks with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Astana on November 4.
During the meeting, Myrzakhmetov briefed his Russian counterpart on the military reform being carried out under the instructions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The reform aims to enhance troop combat readiness, improve command and control systems, modernize weapons and military equipment, introduce digital technologies and adopt new approaches to combat training.
Myrzakhmetov also noted that the Defense Ministry was strengthening the practical focus of military education and its links with the armed forces. Officer training will take into account modern requirements and advances in military technology to better prepare graduates for service.
The reforms are aimed at enhancing the Armed Forces' readiness to ensure national security under current conditions.
The sides also discussed a draft bilateral cooperation plan for 2027, which covers military personnel training, combat training, and military-technical cooperation.
The defense ministers expressed their intention to develop cooperation in military education and exchange experience in combat and professional training. They also considered opportunities for interaction between teaching staff and for holding joint scientific and practical conferences and seminars.
