| Saken Zhasuzakov | |
| Office: | Director of the National Defense University |
| President: | Nursultan Nazarbayev |
| Successor: | Lut Alchekenov |
| Term Start: | 7 August 2018 |
| Term End: | 7 August 2019 |
| Office2: | 9th Minister of Defense |
| President2: | Nursultan Nazarbayev |
| Predecessor2: | Imangali Tasmagambetov |
| Successor2: | Nurlan Ermekbaev |
| Term Start2: | 13 September 2016 |
| Term End2: | 7 August 2018 |
| Office3: | 4th Chairman of the Joint Staff Committee |
| President3: | Nursultan Nazarbayev |
| Predecessor3: | Mukhtar Altynbayev |
| Successor3: | Murat Maikeyev |
| Term Start3: | 11 March 2010 |
| Term End3: | 13 September 2016 |
| Birth Date: | 1957 10, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | South Kazakhstan Region, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance: |  Kazakhstan |
| Branch: | |
| Serviceyears: | 1978–2019 |
| Rank: | Colonel General |
| Battles: | |
| Native Name Lang: | kk |
Saken Adilkhanuly Zhasuzakov (Kazakh: Сәкен Әділханұлы Жасұзақов, Säken Ädılhanūly Jasūzaqov, in Kazakh pronounced as /sækʲen ædɘlχɑno̙ɫə ʐɑso̙zɑqəf/; born 27 October 1957) is a Kazakh politician and Colonel General in the Kazakh Ground Forces. He was Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan from September 2016 until August 2018.[1]
He was born in Chaldar, a village in Southern Kazakhstan in 1957.[2] [3] In 1978, Zhasuzakov graduated from the Alma-Ata Higher All-Arms Command School. From September 1987 to June 1990 he was a pupil of the M. V. Frunze Military Academy. In July 1994 he moved to Russia to attend the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. In 1996, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan.
In 2003, he became First Deputy Commander of Land Forces, and that same year he became Commander of the Regional Command "East". In April 2009, Zhasuzakov was appointed the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces. From 2013 to 2016, Zhasuzakov was the First Deputy Minister of Defence of Kazakhstan. He was appointed as Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan by Presidential Decree on 13 September 2016.[4] [5]
He was replaced as defense minister on 7 August 2018 by Nurlan Ermekbaev.[6] [7] He currently heads the National Defence University in Astana.[8] Exactly a year later, he retired from the military.