Kazakhstan Appoints New Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has issued a decree appointing Aitkurman Omarbekov as First Deputy Minister of Defense and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Prior to his new appointment, Omarbekov served as Deputy Head of the State Security Service and Commander of the Special Purpose Forces.

Born in 1977 in the present-day Abai Region, Omarbekov is a graduate of the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Eurasian Humanities Institute. His military career spans over two decades, beginning with officer and managerial roles in the Republican Guard from 1997 to 2014, followed by positions in the State Security Service. In 2022, he was appointed Deputy Head of the State Security Service – Commander of the Special Purpose Forces and was promoted to the rank of Major General of the State Security Service that same year.

Omarbekov succeeds Kanysh Abubakirov, who was relieved of his duties on October 3. His appointment comes amid wider leadership changes in the military hierarchy, which also saw the dismissal of Deputy Minister of Defense Almaz Zhumakeev and Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces Kanat Niyazbekov.