The Kyrgyz Republic hosted forces from United States Air Forces Central and the Montana Army and Air National Guards at exercise Ak Shumkar 2025. The Kyrgyz Ministry of Defense held the joint exercise June 23-27 in Bishkek to expand the partnership between the two countries and improve cooperation and interoperability.
The Kyrgyz-led exercise consisted of civil-military training in areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster response, aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, and border security. U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Derek France, commander of Ninth Air Force, said the exercise was “a significant step forward in strengthening security cooperation with our Kyrgyz partners,” and that the shared experience will help build a foundation for future collaboration.
Although the 2025 events were the first iteration of Ak Shumkar, the Kyrgyz and U.S. militaries have trained together, in a multinational framework with other Central Asian and South Asian militaries, as part of U.S. Central Command’s Regional Cooperation series of exercises.
The Kyrgyz Republic and the Montana National Guard have also regularly conducted training and subject matter expert exchanges since 1996 as part of the U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Program.
U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie remarked on the Kyrgyz contribution to the enduring partnership: “The Kyrgyz have invested in strengthening our bilateral partnership through security cooperation over the last three decades. Ak Shumkar offered incredible opportunities for our combined forces to share their expertise to increase regional stability through collaboration.”
Sources: Kactus.Media, U.S. Air Forces Central