The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan exercises administrative and operational leadership of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Uzbek Minister of Defense is the nominal head of all the Armed Forces, serving under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, who is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In this capacity, the minister exercises day-to-day administrative and operational authority over the armed forces. In wartime, the defense minister also serves in an official capacity as the Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the military. The General Staff, the executive body of the Ministry of Defense, implements the defense minister's operational instructions and orders. The Oliy Majlis exercises legislative authority over the Ministry of Defense through the Government of Uzbekistan, which is nominally responsible for maintaining the armed forces at the appropriate level of readiness.

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan, is the name of the unified armed forces of Uzbekistan, consisting of the Ground Force and the Air and Air Defence forces under the defence ministry. Paramilitary units include the National Guard, a Frontier Service and a River Force. It is reported to be the largest and the strongest in Central Asia.