In order to have an idea of military equipment and training of subunits and units, it is not at all necessary to participate in wars. Any serviceman who took part in military conflicts will confirm this. War in movies and war in real life look completely different. And the military equipment and weapons, which the Armed Forces of the leading countries can boast of today, make it possible to solve combat missions with maximum damage to the enemy army.
A few years ago, when the idea of holding the Army Games first came up, most of the military were skeptical about it. Yes, a PR campaign, which is designed to increase interest in the army. Yes, an attempt to compare the combat potential of units of different countries. However, the participating countries were deliberately in a losing position. It is difficult to compare the possibilities of selecting the best in Russia and, for example, in Armenia. Just in terms of the number of aircraft.
But already the first games showed that the number of units and subdivisions from which it is possible to select participants in the competition plays not only a positive, but also often a negative role. It is easy to select the best in the part. Even around. So what is next? Then all the best. There are several dozen of the best, but you need to exhibit five to ten participants …
And the competition turned out well. Spectacular, dynamic, captivating not only the participants, but also the audience. And with the advent of the Chinese team, there was also a competition for military equipment and weapons. This means that we can already talk about the competition between designers and engineers of the defense industries.
And then what happened was that in the countries participating in the Games, the wishes of not only spectators, but also military personnel began to sound louder. The absence of teams from Western countries on their equipment speaks of some timidity of the command of these countries. The Western generals were afraid to put up their teams for a fair "fight". The West was silent. "We are stronger. We will not compete with weaklings. We will win with our best technique in the world."
We must agree that such confidence in the West makes some sense. It is difficult to talk about the combat capabilities of equipment and weapons without comparison. Even the tactical and technical characteristics of weapons often do not correspond to those published in open sources. And those materials that are published in the press often have a touch of propaganda. A war can be won not only on the battlefield, but simply by frightening the enemy. Frightened by the strength and power of their Armed Forces.
The war in Syria changed the situation somewhat. It was there, in a combat situation, that Western and Russian (Soviet) tanks, aircraft, anti-tank systems and other "products" "met". Far from being “fresh.” With poorly trained crews. But “we met.” And this meeting showed that there is no ideal weaponry. There is no ideal weapon at all. For some reason, the old Soviet tanks were not penetrated by the newest ATGMs of Western countries. Planes were falling. Bombs, equipped with the most sophisticated aiming devices, they flew to God knows where, while the cruise missiles, which had been used to intimidate the world for many years, were somehow "lost" after launch.
Our soldiers and officers have done even more damage to the West's confidence in their strength. Inflicted by not participating in battles against the coalition. No. It turned out that Russian fighters not only know how to fight well, although doubts about this after the "Chechen wars" were intensively embedded in the Western consciousness, Russian fighters can fight at the level of feat. Precisely a feat. The "rembs" invented by the American filmmakers turned out to be nothing. But 16 against 300 is a fact.
But back to the Games. We often don't "look around" around. We are fixated on the confrontation with the West. And at the same time we are constantly talking about changing the world. But this change is taking place in the armies as well. In the relationship of the military leadership of countries to the "powerful".
Small states cannot afford to modernize their armies all the time. Modernization occurs only due to the complete wear and tear of military equipment. Small states cannot afford to train soldiers according to the methods of the Second World War. Therefore, when the need arises, they take the very thing … And in technology, and in weapons, and in training systems.
The West also understands everything that I wrote about above. And he not only understands, but also tries to counteract the spread of pro-Russian sentiments in the world. In my opinion, we must express our deep gratitude to NATO, for example, for the clone of the tank biathlon. It is simply impossible to come up with more advertising for the Russian tank biathlon. I think those readers who were interested in watching this action felt a sense of pride … It is certainly interesting to look at the "final exams" of the cadets of the training unit, but not at international competitions …
Quite recently, I feel like I have been closely following the "Rembat" competition in Omsk. I talked with officers and soldiers from different countries about the advantages of technology and crew training, about the prospects for the development of the competition, about the attitude towards the Games. I was at a party. I saw the work of Russian, Chinese, Kazakh and other crews on the combat lines. I have seen the work of technical services in the preparation of equipment. I saw the work of the officers and cadets of the Omsk Academy of Material Support in the preparation of the competition. I found "saboteurs" from 242 training centers of the Airborne Forces, who "mined" the track with SHIRAS. Even the army "UAZ", which the cadets disassembled in seconds, I saw. By the way, they collected it for a few seconds longer.
And now the new Games are "on the nose". Very soon, from July 29 to August 12, they will be held not only in Russia. Today the word "international" has received a completely different meaning. Now these are not only teams from different countries, but also venues. 22 polygons in Russia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan. How many spectators in these countries will be able to see this beauty! And the number of participating countries has increased. 28 countries have already confirmed their participation. And 16 countries have not yet officially made a final decision. This was announced at a meeting with foreign military attaches from 32 countries on May 17. For the first time, 6 teams will take part in the Games at once: Israel, Fiji, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Uganda, Laos and Syria.
It is very important that the competition is alive. They "grow" like all living things. Last year we saw 23 military-applied disciplines. Five more will be added this year. Military police competitions "Guardian of Order", "Military Rally", "Commonwealth Warrior" - competitions for military personnel for the CIS countries, "Road Patrol" competition for military traffic inspectors and "Competition for UAV crews". Impressive!
So, there are 28 participating states for today. Five countries where the competition will be held. 16 countries of potential participants. Let us add to this that representatives of 73 states received invitations. 28 types. Isn't it a world competition? And on a geographical basis, is it not an army Olympics?
Of course, I am exaggerating the situation a little. The point is not in the name. It's about the competition itself. It is ridiculous to compare the Army Games with the world championship in spitting an apricot bone from a nostril. But … in every joke there is a grain of a joke. The level of the Games has increased. These are now truly world Games.
The military of many countries are playing! At the beginning of the article, I wrote that it is the military who are most often the most peaceful people. Because they know the capabilities of their weapons. Precisely because they know their capabilities. Precisely because they understand the whole horror of war. Agree, World War Games is more pleasant to write than World War … And to hear too …
