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Active phase of Zapad-2009 to be held in Belarus
29.09.2009
Source:
Active phase of Zapad-2009 strategic exercise will be carried out in Belarus on Tuesday, the Russian and Belarusian Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Alexander Lukashenko will attend the exercise.
The fundamentals of the exercise are development variants of last decades' military conflicts and modern views on prevention and rebuff of aggression.
The main site of the maneuvers' active phase is Obuz-Lesnovsky Range, where the main practical field activities will be worked out. About 13 000 men involved in the exercise and huge number of armor, aviation of Russia and Belarus.
"The maneuvers should check capabilities of Russia and Belarus on enhancing military security of the Union State", says Belarusian military authority.
According to Alexander Lukashenko, similar military exercises were conducted in the previous years; they are absolutely threatenless and are not demonstration of force.
Units and formations of Moscow and Volga-Ural Military Commands, Air Force, Air Defense, Airborne, military logistics and task forces from federal executive authorities are participating in the exercise from the Russian party.
In accordance with Vienna Document of 1999, Belarus sent invitations to observers from neighbor countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, and also to representatives of the military diplomatic corps of other countries accredited by the country's Ministry of Defense.
The maneuvers on Belarusian territory are carried out in two stages. During the fist stage on Sept 18-22, the effort was focused on preparation of the regional grouping (RG) defensive operation. During the second stage (Sept 23-29) the attention was paid on performance evaluation of Russia-Belarus Joint Regional Air Defense System concerning counter-air strikes, control of force groupings at combat defensive actions.
According to Gen Col Leonid Maltsev, Belarusian Minister of Defense, the participants are particularly testing the capabilities of new and upgraded samples of weapons both domestic and joint production, their matching the required technical performance and perspective profile of the Armed Forces.
"For instance, to control air defense units, it is planned to use domestically produced automated control system for mobile command post, which is capable to significantly increase combat capability of troops, decrease time for preparation and making decisions, computerize time-consuming calculations and rationally distribute forces and facilities", says the General.
According to Belarusian Ministry of Defense, the following combat and special vehicles are involved in the maneuvers – 63 aircrafts and 40 helicopters, about 470 armored combat vehicles, 228 tanks, 234 self-propelled and towed artillery guns, mortars and MLRS (multiple launch rocket system).
The exercise's scenario provides exclusively defensive nature of actions of Russian and Belarusian force groupings, remarks Maltsev.
As he said, in the course of maneuvers Russia and Belarus should raise cohesiveness of military administration agencies, field and flight skills of military units.
Meanwhile, on the western theater of operation Russian Armed Forces should be ready to stand up to potential enemy at three separate strategic directions – southwest, west and northwest, remarks Skokov.
"To train control agencies and troops for acting at this directions, the strategic maneuvers Autumn-2009 are in progress; they have been started in June and comprise strategic exercises Kavkaz-2009, Zapad-2009 and Ladoga-2009", he said.
According to the General, at the west theater of operation Russian groupings may face innovation armies with noncontact release methods of state-of-the-art forces and facilities.
"If we speak about the east, it may be many-million army with traditional view on warfare conduct: straight-line, with great concentration of manpower and firepower on separate directions", he said.
"As for the south of Russia, we may withstand irregular formations and sabotage-reconnaissance groups, countering federal authorities by guerrilla methods", the General said.
According to Skokov's opinion, Russia having such threats needs mobile and self-sufficient force groupings capable to rebuff possible aggression of potential enemy at any strategic direction.
In 2007 the joint war game was conducted in accordance with the decision of both countries' Presidents; the subject was "Combined actions of the RF and the RB on enhancing military security of the Union State". The distinguished feature of that game was involving Belarusian governmental agencies, Russian federal executive authorities, and also representatives of the Union State Permanent Committee, Joint Staff of CSTO.
In Feb-March 2009 the joint staff training of regional grouping allied command was conducted; different development variants of politico-military and strategic environment were modeled then, the most complicated issues of regional grouping use were discussed due to variation of warfare methods in present conditions. The matters of the joint staff training underlain the exercise scenario of Zapad-2009.
According to Belarusian Ministry of Defense, about 12 600 men are participating in the maneuvers, including 6 500 men from Belarusian armed forces and other military formations, around 6 000 men from Russian Armed Forces and about 30 men from Kazakhstan. In accordance with the Belarusian Armed Forces training plan, about 1 800 obligated reservists were recalled to participate in the event.
Active phase of Zapad-2009 strategic exercise will be carried out in Belarus on Tuesday, the Russian and Belarusian Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Alexander Lukashenko will attend the exercise.
The fundamentals of the exercise are development variants of last decades' military conflicts and modern views on prevention and rebuff of aggression.
The main site of the maneuvers' active phase is Obuz-Lesnovsky Range, where the main practical field activities will be worked out. About 13 000 men involved in the exercise and huge number of armor, aviation of Russia and Belarus.
"The maneuvers should check capabilities of Russia and Belarus on enhancing military security of the Union State", says Belarusian military authority.
According to Alexander Lukashenko, similar military exercises were conducted in the previous years; they are absolutely threatenless and are not demonstration of force.
Units and formations of Moscow and Volga-Ural Military Commands, Air Force, Air Defense, Airborne, military logistics and task forces from federal executive authorities are participating in the exercise from the Russian party.
In accordance with Vienna Document of 1999, Belarus sent invitations to observers from neighbor countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, and also to representatives of the military diplomatic corps of other countries accredited by the country's Ministry of Defense.
Zapad-2009: test for weapons and equipment
Zapad-2009 strategic exercise being a final activity of Union State Armed Forces' operational training in 2009 is conducted on the territories of both countries on Sept 8-29.The maneuvers on Belarusian territory are carried out in two stages. During the fist stage on Sept 18-22, the effort was focused on preparation of the regional grouping (RG) defensive operation. During the second stage (Sept 23-29) the attention was paid on performance evaluation of Russia-Belarus Joint Regional Air Defense System concerning counter-air strikes, control of force groupings at combat defensive actions.
According to Gen Col Leonid Maltsev, Belarusian Minister of Defense, the participants are particularly testing the capabilities of new and upgraded samples of weapons both domestic and joint production, their matching the required technical performance and perspective profile of the Armed Forces.
"For instance, to control air defense units, it is planned to use domestically produced automated control system for mobile command post, which is capable to significantly increase combat capability of troops, decrease time for preparation and making decisions, computerize time-consuming calculations and rationally distribute forces and facilities", says the General.
According to Belarusian Ministry of Defense, the following combat and special vehicles are involved in the maneuvers – 63 aircrafts and 40 helicopters, about 470 armored combat vehicles, 228 tanks, 234 self-propelled and towed artillery guns, mortars and MLRS (multiple launch rocket system).
The exercise's scenario provides exclusively defensive nature of actions of Russian and Belarusian force groupings, remarks Maltsev.
As he said, in the course of maneuvers Russia and Belarus should raise cohesiveness of military administration agencies, field and flight skills of military units.
Zapad-2009 as a stage of strategic maneuvers
Gen Lt Sergei Skokov, the Chief of Russian Army Main Headquarters has previously said to journalists that warfare methods of potential enemies at the western, eastern and southern directions are considerably different, that is why Russia has to possess mobile force groupings capable to act at separate directions.Meanwhile, on the western theater of operation Russian Armed Forces should be ready to stand up to potential enemy at three separate strategic directions – southwest, west and northwest, remarks Skokov.
"To train control agencies and troops for acting at this directions, the strategic maneuvers Autumn-2009 are in progress; they have been started in June and comprise strategic exercises Kavkaz-2009, Zapad-2009 and Ladoga-2009", he said.
According to the General, at the west theater of operation Russian groupings may face innovation armies with noncontact release methods of state-of-the-art forces and facilities.
"If we speak about the east, it may be many-million army with traditional view on warfare conduct: straight-line, with great concentration of manpower and firepower on separate directions", he said.
"As for the south of Russia, we may withstand irregular formations and sabotage-reconnaissance groups, countering federal authorities by guerrilla methods", the General said.
According to Skokov's opinion, Russia having such threats needs mobile and self-sufficient force groupings capable to rebuff possible aggression of potential enemy at any strategic direction.
From Shield to Zapad
Zapad-2009 exercise is not the first joint one. The issues of joint use of Russian and Belarusian Armed Forces in regional grouping were previously worked out during integrated operational exercise Union Shield-2006.In 2007 the joint war game was conducted in accordance with the decision of both countries' Presidents; the subject was "Combined actions of the RF and the RB on enhancing military security of the Union State". The distinguished feature of that game was involving Belarusian governmental agencies, Russian federal executive authorities, and also representatives of the Union State Permanent Committee, Joint Staff of CSTO.
In Feb-March 2009 the joint staff training of regional grouping allied command was conducted; different development variants of politico-military and strategic environment were modeled then, the most complicated issues of regional grouping use were discussed due to variation of warfare methods in present conditions. The matters of the joint staff training underlain the exercise scenario of Zapad-2009.
According to Belarusian Ministry of Defense, about 12 600 men are participating in the maneuvers, including 6 500 men from Belarusian armed forces and other military formations, around 6 000 men from Russian Armed Forces and about 30 men from Kazakhstan. In accordance with the Belarusian Armed Forces training plan, about 1 800 obligated reservists were recalled to participate in the event.
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