Page | 60Chapter 5: Security
Introduction
In the period of Mongolian history between its
declaration of independence in 1921 and the fall
of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s,
Mongolia’s security concerns and needs were
strongly tied to and supported by Moscow. The
Soviets supplied all military training and
equipment for the Mongolian People’s Army.
Soviet troops were also stationed in Mongolia
from the 1960s until the early 1990s, a period
during which a Chinese-Soviet rift made
Mongolia a tense buffer region lying between the two communist rivals.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mongolia was forced to rethink its security
posture. With Moscow no longer its central political, economic, and military partner, the
Mongolian government shifted to a more equitable foreign policy. Ulaanbaatar’s relations
with Moscow and Beijing became more balanced, and political and economic relations
were fostered with the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, several European
Union countries, Australia, Canada, and other nations.^320 In the case of the United States,
these improving relations eventually led to military and counterterrorism cooperation.^321
Overall, Mongolia’s isolated location between two global powers has helped ensure its
internal and external security, despite its more than 6,000 km (3,700 mi) of relatively
porous borders. Mongolia has been spared any direct attacks, but the government takes
potential terrorist threats seriously and has committed resources to counterterrorism
training and cross-national counterterrorism cooperation.
322
(^320) Sharad K. Soni, “Mongolia’s Security Thinking and Outside World: A Reappraisal,” Mongolian and
Tibetan Affairs Commission, 32, n.d.,
http://www.mtac.gov.tw/mtacbook/upload/09511/0202/2.pdf
(^321) Wang Peiran, “Mongolia’s Delicate Balancing Act,” China Security 5, no. 2, 2009, 20–21,
http://www.chinasecurity.us/pdfs/WangPeiran.pdf
(^322) Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State, “Chapter 2: Country Reports:
East Asia and Pacific Overview,” Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, 5 August 2010,
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2009/140884.htm