Tuvan People's Revolutionary Army

The first militarized formations of Tuva appeared during the Russian Civil War on the territory of the former Russian Empire. In 1921, a war ministry in the new republic was formed. A small messenger detachment was formed, which after the abolition of the war ministry the following year, became subordinate to the Ministry of Justice. In the spring of 1924, the government decided to create a regular army, which was approved on 24 September of that year. By September 1925, the messenger detachment was transformed into a squadron, which reached company size. It was named the Tuva Arat Red Army (TAKA). In late 1929, the TAKA's first squadron was doubled and transformed into a cavalry divizion, consisting of two squadrons with a total strength of 402 soldiers. Three years later it was upgraded to a regiment consisting of five squadrons, including two saber squadrons, a heavy machine gun squadron, as well as an artillery department and a regimental school. The interior ministry was founded in 1932, and two years later, the military was renamed to the Tuva People's Revolutionary Army.

The first major attempt to raise the republic's combat readiness took place in the late 30s, at a time when the Empire of Japan undertook militaristic actions against the Republic of China that included the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the Second Sino-Japanese War 1937. As a result, the 11th Congress of the TPRP (held in November 1939), instructed the Central Committee to begin the process of equipping the TNRA for the next 2–3 years. A year later, in late February 1940, the Ministry of Military Affairs was created, which resulted in the improvement of officer training.[2][3]

Later years

The military parade uniform of Salchak Toka, the last de facto commander-in-chief of the TNRA.

In total, about 8,000 military personnel from the TNRA fought in the war, with 20 being recipients of the Order of Glory.[11] After the Tuvan People's Republic was dissolved on 14 October 1944, and became the Tuvan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic under Soviet control, the TNRA was transformed into the 7th Independent Cavalry Regiment of the Siberian Military District, which was dissolved in 1946. One part of the regiment was transferred to the 127th Rifle Division stationed in Krasnoyarsk, and the other became part of the 10th Rifle Division in Irkutsk.

The Soviet Union assisted in the development in its military, with many in the middle and high command of the TNRA being sent to train at Soviet military institutions of higher education such as the Frunze Military Academy and the Lenin Military-Political Academy.[2] In December 1930, a six-month training school for junior commanders of 20 people was created, holding its first graduation in June 1931 and working without interruption until 1946.[12] In 1925, ten soldiers were sent to the Tver Cavalry School, graduating in 1929.[13]

The following were rank insignia for commissioned officers for the Tuvan People's Revolutionary Army. As the TPRA was organized with Soviet assistance, its ranks generally followed the Red Army precedent.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Tuvan People's Revolutionary Army[14]
							- -		- -		- -		- -		- -		- -		Улуг лейтена́нт Ulug leytenánt		Лейтена́нт Leytenánt		Биче лейтена́нт Biche leytenánt		Курсант Kursant

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Tuvan People's Revolutionary Army[14]
							Старшина - -		Старший сержант - -		Сержант - -						Младший сержант - -						Ефрейтор - -												Рядовой - -

• In May 2010, on the 65th anniversary of Victory Day, a new memorial was opened in the Tuvan capital, with the names of all the Tuvan military volunteers engraved there.[15]
• Today, the Brass Band of the Government of Tuva, which was created on 24 March 2008 from a student band, is the only civilian mounted band in the Russian Federation, reviving the traditions of the Horse Brass Band of the Tuva People's Revolutionary Army, which was active from 1929 to 1944. The first performance of the band was on horseback during a Victory Day Parade in 2008.[16] Many of its performances are done with musicians dressed in the combat uniforms of the TNRA.

• Mongolian People's Army