They are generally held at the Matybulak Training Ground on the 40th Otar Military Base[2] in the Korday District of the Jambyl Region.
According to Roger McDermott, an analyst at the Jamestown Foundation, the parade is held as a signal that the Government of Kazakhstan will take steps to modernize its military to meet the "high technologies and standards of the 21st century".
[3] An organizational group composed of officers from various branches are usually tasked to coordinate the live fire aspects of the parade.
[4] The parade begins with the arrival of the President of Kazakhstan in his government helicopter accompanied by the defence minister.
At the conclusion of the speech, the president yells "Ura" to which the entire parade repeats three times before standing at attention for a rendition of Meniń Qazaqstanym as performed by the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense.
[12] During his holiday address, President Nazarbayev announced the creation of a new Special Operations Forces as well as a cyber warfare branch.