The Military Department was established in 1963 at the Dzhambul Hydromelioration and Construction Institute to train reserve officers in the specialty “Engineer in Road Construction and Operation.” The first head of the department was Colonel Pyotr Yakovlevich Shames, who served from 1963 to 1971.
Over the years, the department was led by:
- Colonel Ryurik Alexandrovich Ivanov (03.04.1971 – 24.06.1974)
- Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Yakovlevich Pererva (08.05.1975 – 31.12.1977)
- Colonel Gennady Alekseevich Yadrennikov (08.09.1977 – 21.05.1982)
- Colonel Viktor Vasilievich Neklyudov (21.05.1982 – 23.01.1989)
- Colonel Gennady Alekseevich Vtyurin (04.02.1989 – 26.09.1990)
- Colonel Anatoly Vasilievich Potapov (14.06.1991 – 24.06.1993)
- Colonel Alexander Alexandrovich Ivlev (28.06.1993 – 24.09.2003)
- Colonel Askar Begaidarovich Sadykov (24.09.2003 – 20.12.2013)
In 1998, by resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the department became part of M.Kh. Dulaty Taraz Regional University.
In 2024, following the university’s restructuring, the department was transferred to the Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation (KazNUWMI).
Currently, the department is headed by Colonel Sagat Amangeldievich Mukushev, who was appointed by order of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2014.
With over 60 years of history, the Military Department remains the only one in the Zhambyl region. More than 20,000 specialists have been trained for the Armed Forces and other security agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Many graduates continue to serve in the Armed Forces, the Committee for National Security (KNB), the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), the customs service, and other structures.
The department specializes in training engineering personnel in high demand not only by the Armed Forces but also in civilian sectors. Instruction is conducted in Kazakh and Russian by a qualified faculty.
The department is equipped with a modern material and technical base: a shooting range, simulators, combat training vehicles, firearms, engineering equipment, sports and guard training areas, a library, an auditorium, and classrooms with interactive whiteboards and up-to-date visual aids. A major renovation of the department building has been completed, and the furniture has been updated. All this ensures a high methodological and organizational level of training.
From 1963 to 1982:
- Engineers in the construction and operation of highways
- Engineers in the construction and operation of road bridges
Since 1983:
Commanders of road construction units
- Commanders of bridge construction units
Since 1991:
Commanders of road construction units
- Commanders of bridge construction units
- Commanders of mechanized units for road and bridge construction
Since 1999:
- Commanders of motorized rifle units (infantry fighting vehicles)
- Commanders of road construction units
- Commanders of bridge construction units
- Commanders of mechanized units for road and bridge construction
- Commanders of road commandant units
- Food supply officers
- Quartermasters
Since 2003, enrollment at the Military Department has been conducted in accordance with the state order of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Since 2006, the following specialists have been trained:
- Commanders of motorized rifle units (infantry fighting vehicles)
- Commanders of mechanized units for road and bridge construction
- Commanders of road commandant units
- Food supply officers
- Quartermasters
- Commanders of water supply engineering units
- Commanders of engineering road and bridge construction units
Since 2011:
- Commanders of motorized rifle units (infantry fighting vehicles)
- Commanders of water supply engineering units
- Commanders of engineering road and bridge construction units
- Commanders of mechanized units for road and bridge construction
- Food supply officers
Since 2012:
- Commanders of water supply engineering units
- Commanders of engineering, road construction, and bridge construction units
- Commanders of combat engineering (sapper) units
- Commanders of engineering obstacle and demining units
Since 2015:
- Commanders of combat engineering (sapper) units
- Commanders of engineering obstacle and demining units
- Commanders of water supply engineering units
- Commanders of engineering road and bridge construction units
- Telecommunications unit specialists
- Specialists in metrological support of military equipment and weapons
Since 2018:
- Commanders for the operation and maintenance of automotive equipment
- Commanders of combat engineering (sapper) units and formations
- Commanders of engineering road and bridge construction units and formations
- Commanders for the operation and maintenance of tracked transporters and multipurpose/special-purpose vehicles
- Specialists in metrological support of military equipment and weapons
Since 2021 to the present:
- Commanders for the operation and maintenance of automotive equipment
- Commanders of combat engineering (sapper) units, formations, and detachments
- Commanders of engineering road and bridge construction units and formations
- Telecommunications unit specialists
- Commanders for the operation and maintenance of engineering equipment
Since 2021, training has also been provided under reserve sergeant programs for the following specialties:
- Combat engineering (sapper) unit specialists
- Specialists of ferry crossing units
- Engineering reconnaissance specialists
- Automotive service unit specialists
- Specialists in diagnostics and repair of automotive equipment
