Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 22, 2005, Monday

COMBAT COMMUNITY-2005 IS ON THE EDGE

SOURCE: Krasnaya Zvezda, August 18, 2005, p. 1

by Roman Streshnev

THE FINAL STAGE OF MUSTER COMBAT COMMUNITY-2005 WILL TAKE PLACE IN
ASTRAKHAN OBLAST

Maneuvers Combat Community is the traditional one. It takes place
annually within the frames of United System of Anti-Aircraft Defense
of Community of Independent States (US AAD CIS). The terminating
stage of the present muster will happen during the period from August
22-30, on polygon Ashchuluk (Astrakhan oblast). More than two
thousand soldiers will participate in it, as well as zenith missile
systems and complexes S-300, S-125, S-75, frontier bombardiers Su-24,
assaulters Su-25, destroyers Su-27, MiG-29, MiG-31, planes of distant
radio location detection A-50. The participants themselves are now
preparing for fulfilling the upcoming training-combat tasks.

As Interfax-AVN informs, according to the words of Commander-in-Chief
of Russian Air Forces General of Army, Vladimir Mikhailov, in
contrast to the last muster of US AAD CIS, the conditions will be
more difficult. “This will touch upon both noise interference and
targeting situations”, he said. “In my opinion, the main peculiarity
of the upcoming maneuvers is that the regional grouping of
Anti-Aircraft Forces will be established during the maneuvers for the
very first time. This is our aim”, Commander-in-Chief of Russian
Federation Air Forces noted. The control over this grouping of
Community troops will be realized by automated regime, and all
actions of zenith missile forces will be coordinated from one command
point. “Creating regional interstate systems of Anti-Aircraft defense
is one of the main directions of further development of AAF system.
In the perspects, we look forward to establishing of such systems in
East-Europe, Central-Asia and Caucasian region. A number of documents
on establishing the united regional system of Belarus and Russia AAF
has been coordinated already. This has important strategic
significance”, Vladimir Mikhailov said.

We shall remind you that on February 10, it was ten years from the
moment of signing the protocol concerning establishing US AAF CIS. In
concordance with the signed decree, the terms of which are not
limited, it was complied of AAF forces of 10 Community states:
Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

At present, US AAF CIS includes 31 zenith-missile units, 15 squadrons
and subunits of destroying aviation, 23 units of radio technical
troops and three separate battalions of radio electronic struggle.