United States Presents Military Equipment to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense

The Deputy Commanding General of United States Army Central, Major General Wendul Hagler, presented 50 Polaris MRZR light tactical combat mobility vehicles to the Special Operations Forces of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Head of the Special Operations Forces Directorate of the Ministry of Defense accepted the equipment on behalf of the Special Operations Forces, with officials from the Central Military District Command, United States Army Central, and United States Embassy Tashkent participating in the ceremony. The equipment was presented under the United States Department of Defense-funded Building Partner Capacity Program. The vehicles are valued at $2.8 million and represent a portion of U.S. defense articles provided, on a grant basis, to Uzbekistan.

“The transfer of this equipment is only one form of assistance the United States offers Uzbekistan in order to contribute to Uzbekistan’s protection of its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The United States looks forward to continuing to build on our partnership, which has greatly progressed over the last 31 years,” Major General Hagler noted in his opening remarks.

The Building Partner Capacity Program has long served to build partnerships with foreign nations by providing military and equipment training to enhance partner nations’ capabilities within each of the Geographic Combatant Commands.