Nurmagambetov began his military career as a machine gun platoon commander in the Red Army in World War II.

He was promoted to machine gun company and infantry battalion commander, earning the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union in February 1945.

Nurmagambetov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy after World War II and rose to become one of the highest-ranked Kazakh officers in the peacetime Soviet Army, attaining the rank of colonel general.

[1] He was elected to serve as a deputy of Kazakhstan's Supreme Soviet from 1971 until 1994, and chosen to lead its committee on the disabled and military veterans' affairs in 1989.

His military career saw him take part in the recovery efforts after the Chernobyl disaster and the Spitak Earthquake, and from 2000 to 2001, serve as Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense.