BELARUS TO HOST JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE WITH RUSSIA IN JUNE
Belapan news agency, Minsk
1 Jun 06
Minsk, 1 June: For the first time the [Belarusian-Russian] Union
Shield-2006 command-post exercise involving the command bodies of
the 20th Army of the Moscow Military District [to be held in Belarus
on 17-25 June] “will test the functioning of not only the command
structures of the regional military group of the two countries but will
also assess its efficiency and viability. This, in turn, will allow
us to set development priorities in view of modern warfare methods
and cutting-edge information technologies,” Lt-Gen Syarhey Hurulyow,
chief of the armed forces’ General Staff and first deputy minister
of defence, said at a news conference in Minsk today.
He said the main goal of the exercise, which will be held in Belarus
on 17-25 June, will include “the assessment of the capability of
command bodies of units of the Belarusian and Russian armed forces
to fulfil tasks dealing with the union state’s armed defence within
the framework of the regional group of forces”.
[Passage omitted: minor details]
About 8,800 servicemen, including about 7,000 Belarusians and 1,800
Russians will participate in the manoeuvres along with more than 40
tanks, about 180 armoured combat vehicles, more than 40 artillery
pieces, 30 multiple fire rocket systems, six helicopters and 23
military planes from Belarus, and six helicopters and 13 military
planes from Russia.
The exercise’s practical stage will be held at three ranges of the
Belarusian armed forces in Brest and Hrodna regions. Representatives
of more than 40 states will be invited to observe the exercise.
Hurulyow said that the observation of the exercise’s active phase
by the heads of member states of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization [CSTO, member states are Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus,
Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan] and by the [CSTO] defence ministers
and the secretaries of security councils at the Abuz-Lyasnowski range
on 24 June is being considered at present.
About 1.9m dollars will be allocated for the manoeuvres by both sides
in proportion to their involvement.