IN THE ARMED FORCES: MILITARY-ECONOMIC MANEUVERS
by Vladimir Mukhin
WPS Agency
What the Papers Say (Russia)
August 4, 2008 Monday
Russia
Overview of military exercises held in Russia last week; Large-scale
exercises were under way all last week in southern and eastern Russia,
involving over 20,000 personnel. The Southern federal district hosted
the Caucasus 2008 military exercises. The Siberian military district
hosted East 2008: a strategic command-staff exercise.
Large-scale exercises were under way all last week in southern and
eastern Russia. Over 20,000 personnel and 1,500 pieces of military
hardware participated in the maneuvers. Such events have been held
regularly in the Russian Federation in recent years. But this year,
judging by the tasks performed, their goals seemed more pragmatic –
closer to the real situation.
The Southern federal district hosted the Caucasus 2008 military
exercises. The Siberian military district hosted East 2008: a strategic
command-staff exercise for management of groups of troops (forces)
in Eastern Russia. In Moscow, the headquarters of the CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was used from July 30 to August 1
as the base for the second (theoretical) stage of a joint command-staff
exercise, Border 2008, in which questions of applying CSTO troops
to repel aggression against Armenia were worked out using maps (the
field stage of this exercise will be held in Armenia, August 18-22).
To all appearances, the scenario for the exercises in the Caucasus
is related to the actual situation in Georgia, which is making
preparations to use force to resolve the conflicts in South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, where most residents are Russian citizens and our
peacekeepers are present. In the event of an emergency situation, they
would be assisted by troops from the North Caucasus military district.
The maneuvers in Siberia were of a military-economic nature, rather
than purely military. Under the command of Army General Nikolai
Makarov, Chief of the General Staff, they studied and drilled
"a broad range of potential appropriate measures to ensure the
security of hydrocarbon transport across the territory of the Eastern
region." They also worked on training tasks aimed at "neutralizing
the consequences of environmental and industrial disasters, as well
as preventing terrorist attacks on civilian shipping and important
Armed Forces facilities."
Meanwhile, the officers gathered in Moscow were working hard on
exercise objectives in the event of a military conflict breaking out on
the borders of Armenia. This is a relevant topic, since in this region
there is some probability of hostilities aimed against Russia’s chief
ally in the Caucasus. There seem to be some problems with working out
military training objectives here. Exactly who should be viewed as
the aggressor for the purpose of these exercises: Azerbaijan, Turkey,
or someone else? Georgia’s relations with Russia are strained at
present; will Georgia permit transit of troops and forces traveling
from Russia and other CSTO countries to Armenia for the exercises?
Russia has been building up the strength of its armed units
stationed in the North and South Caucasus. Peacekeeping forces in the
unrecognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been reinforced. the 102nd
military base in Armenia has received substantial quantities of weapons
and ammunition, transferred there after the withdrawal of Russian
bases from Georgia. However, these forces aren’t providing complete
stability in the region. Terrorist attacks continue in Dagestan,
Chechnya, and Ingushetia (that is, in the very same republics where
exercises are being held); guerrillas have become more active. In
Georgia and Azerbaijan (concerning Nagorno-Karabakh), the likelihood
of large-scale hostilities has increased.