Armed Forces

Kyrgyzstan, alone among the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, is going to disband its armed forces, the president of the former Soviet republic said Friday. "In the last year and a half, we have cut (the military) in half, and in the next three to five years we will disband it entirely. And we will have only a National Guard whose functions will be the same as the National Guard in your states," President Askar Akayev said.

Armed Forces Day is officially celebrated on the third Saturday of May and honors all branches of the U.S. armed services. First observed in 1950, the holiday replaced separate celebrations for the Air Force, Army and Navy.

Premier Miklos Nemeth said today that Hungary will slash its armed forces by up to a quarter in the next two years, scrapping many offensive weapons and regrouping them away from its western frontier. He also announced a shake-up in defense command, replacing the army chief of staff and dismissing three deputy ministers.

The 250,000-strong military pledged loyalty to President Corazon Aquino's government en masse today as rebellion charges were lodged against 41 allies of ousted leader Ferdinand E. Marcos who staged a failed revolt against Aquino. Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and armed forces chief Gen. Fidel Ramos led the military in pledging allegiance to Aquino's interim "Freedom Constitution" in nationwide rites aimed at dispelling doubts about the military's loyalty to her government.

The Senate gave overwhelming approval Wednesday to the most far-reaching reorganization of the nation's armed forces in 30 years in an effort to ease interservice rivalry and to encourage cooperation in joint military operations. The bill, which was resisted by many Pentagon officials, was approved 95 to 0.

Seven months ago, Donald H. Rumsfeld began his second tour as Defense secretary with what seemed like a presidential mandate for change. During the campaign, George W. Bush assailed Clinton management of the Pentagon and called for a transformation of the armed forces to prepare them for future challenges. Rumsfeld's appointment seemed like a no-brainer.

The Pentagon has dispatched a message from President Reagan to members of the armed forces around the world, marking the upcoming observance of Memorial Day and the debt owed "to those who fell in battle." "This Memorial Day we remember with solemn pride and gratitude America's sons and daughters who have paid the ultimate price for the preservation of freedom," Reagan wrote. "The debt we owe to those who have left home and family to serve this cause (of freedom) is beyond measure.

A 49-year-old Soviet general was promoted over scores of more senior officers and appointed the armed forces' chief of staff Thursday amid increasing indications here that the officer corps has serious doubts about the unilateral military cutbacks announced by President Mikhail S. Gorbachev. Col. Gen. Mikhail A. Moiseyev, commander of the Far East Military District and a protege of Defense Minister Dmitri T. Yazov, replaces Marshal Sergei F.

Gen. Colin L. Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday that the armed forces offer black Americans equal opportunity with whites "more so than any other form of endeavor in our society." Powell, the first black to hold the nation's highest uniformed rank, also said he does not believe that the all-volunteer U.S. forces have become disproportionately black.

America's military personnel are serving in a world where communication and the threat of destruction are instantaneous, President Clinton said Friday in observing the 50th anniversary of Armed Forces Day.