BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan -- U.S. Air Forces Central and the Montana Army and Air National Guard partnered with the Kyrgyz Republic for exercise Ak Shumkar 2025, June 23-27, focused on expanding partnerships and increasing interoperability among partner forces throughout Central Asia.
As a Kyrgyz-led exercise, Ak Shumkar 2025 provided an opportunity for U.S. Airmen to learn and train alongside their Kyrgyz military and civilian counterparts at the subject matter expert level on various topics, including Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Aeromedical Evacuation, Search and Rescue, and Border Security.
“The inaugural Ak Shumkar exercise represented a significant step forward in strengthening security cooperation with our Kyrgyz partners,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen Derek France, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) Commander. “Throughout several days, our forces shared experiences and established personal connections, helping us build a foundation for enduring and mutually beneficial collaboration.”
The Montana National Guard established a long-term relationship with the Kyrgyz Republic in 1996 through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. Over the past three decades, the U.S. and Kyrgyz Republic have collaborated at every level through this program, and Ak Shumkar provided a launching platform for further engagement between the two nations.
The U.S. and the Kyrgyz Republic militaries have routine touchpoints beyond the State Partnership Program through U.S. Central Command’s Regional Cooperation exercise series, which provides opportunities for all Central Asia and South Asian states to work together toward collective security objectives in the region.
“The Kyrgyz have invested in strengthening our bilateral partnership through security cooperation over the last three decades,” said Lesslie Viguerie, U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic. “Ak Shumkar offered incredible opportunities for our combined forces to share their expertise to increase regional stability through collaboration.”
The U.S. Air Force and National Guard Bureau’s participation in Ak Shumkar 2025 further strengthened the foundation for bilateral partnerships with the Kyrgyz Republic through focused subject matter expert exchanges on key topics of interest for both nations to safeguard sovereignty and secure long-term stability throughout the region.
Imagery of operations and activities within the U.S. Air Forces Central theater of operations is publicly available through the Defense Visual Information Distribution service at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/AFCENT.